NFHS graduate studying abroad

Posted January 31, 2012

Yongxuan Tan, a resident of Garland and a graduate of Naaman Forest High School, is currently participating in Arcadia University’s First Year Study Abroad Experience. Tan is a computer science major and is spending his spring semester in London, England.

He is one of 27 freshmen who started his global pursuit by departing on January 21 for England where he is experiencing multicultural, contemporary and global London as his campus through Arcadia’s London Now program.

Students are housed with other American students studying abroad through Arcadia in one of two Arcadia-run facilities.

The university’s FYSAE program is in its ninth year and provides a rigorous educational experience in an overseas setting that allows freshmen, no matter what their intended major, to make normal academic progress toward an Arcadia bachelor’s degree while expanding their cultural awareness and independent learning ability.

NFHS musical takes
audiences ‘Back to the 80s’

Kim Everett | January 24, 2012

Naaman Forest High School students treated audiences to an entertaining production of “Back to the 80s: The Totally Awesome Musical” Friday and Saturday, January 13 and 14.  The musical, written by Neil Gooding, tells the story of main character Corey looking back at 1989, his senior year. 

Talented vocalists gave audience members an opportunity to reminisce as they sang some of the most popular hits of the 1980s such as “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “You Give Love a Bad Name,” Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” and “Lost In Your Eyes.”  In addition to the impressive vocals, the students’ acting and dancing talents were showcased.   

NFHS Choir Director Rob Draper said it was a blessing to be able to work with such talented young people.  “I love that it this was an ensemble piece which featured so many soloists, rather than a show driven by one or two main characters,” he said.  “It allows us to display the talents of many more singers and shows off the quality of the full ensemble.”

Draper also expressed pride at the students’ level of dedication.  “These kids have worked tirelessly, balancing demanding academic, athletic, and extra-curricular schedules – to say nothing of personal commitments – in order to make this show happen,” he said.  “It takes quite a bit of work to prepare a show like this and hopefully the audience is left amazed by the final product.”

The cast included:  Sierra Preston; Morgan McClain; Natalie Gallion; Savannah Davidson; Madeline Riddick; Sarah Walker; Morgan Moffitt; Lynnsey Boardman; Micah Ndiba; Chandler Myers; Tucker Harding; Sean Miller; Alex Luna; Kevin Dang; Osbaldo Hernandez; Rody Perez; Daniel Havlock; and Cooper Begley.  There was also a chorus of more than 30 singers and dancers.

The musical was directed by Kim Stinson and choreographed by Alesia Wright.  Chris Bryson was the tech director, and Alyson Jay was the stage manager.  Rob Draper was the music director and Joel Roberts was the music assistant.

Austin Academy student takes first place in pageant

Kim Everett | January 2, 2012

Austin Academy student Meaghan Jones is a busy young woman who wouldn’t have it any other way.  She is an excellent student, a cheerleader at school and on a competitive team, she plays volleyball, and competes in pageants. 

The seventh grader likes being involved in multiple activities because it keeps her motivated.  “I don’t like sitting around.  I like to be busy,” she said.  “I don’t like it when I don’t have anything to do.”

She was invited to attend Austin Academy because of her math ability, and she recently made the Duke Scholar Program.  She hopes to go to Sachse High School and cheer for the Mustangs.

Competing in pageants has helped her in a variety of ways, including that it has made her more outgoing.  “I used to be really shy, but I’m not so shy anymore,” she said.  “Getting on the stage by myself is what changed me.”  Meaghan has also made friends with other young women who share her interests, which she says is a definite plus.

She only has time for one pageant per year now because of other activities, but she always looks forward to it.  When she competed in a national pageant in Austin in the fall, her friends organized a group of students and parents to go and support her.  “I had my own cheering section,” she said.  “It was great.”  Meaghan won the pageant with her friends and family there, and the prize was $10,000.  In the past, she has won $5,000 twice, $2,000 twice, and various other amounts.  Her room is filled with a collection of trophies, ribbons, and crowns, as well.

Meaghan started competing in pageants at the age of 8 months and has appeared on television shows including Good Morning America, Today Show, Tyra Banks Show, TLC’s Toddlers in Tiaras, and Access Hollywood.  She got to meet and have her photo taken with former President Bill Clinton while in New York to appear on the Tyra Banks Show.

Meaghan’s parents, Clyde and Phyllis Jones are supportive and attend all her activities, but they have never made her feel pressured to participate in anything.  “It’s her life, and I don’t want her to be unhappy doing anything,” her mother said.  “What we are trying to do with Meaghan is allow her to choose what she wants to participate in; then when it comes time for her to go to high school and college, she can narrow it down as to what she wants to do, what she likes to do, and what she is best at.”

The family has a solid spiritual base, which has helped Meaghan become grounded and wise beyond her years.  Her advice to other girls:  “Try something new.  Go out there and see what you are best at.”

Garland students join
Texas Litter Force

Posted December 31, 2011

The Don't Mess with Texas Litter Force visited Weaver and Bradfield Elementary Schools on November 18 to teach students about litter prevention. The program, which features superheroes and their trash foes, is sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation.

The Litter Force has been making the rounds of elementary schools across Texas for five years to present its high energy shows and interactive battles with the Evil Trash.  Every student can become an honorary member of the force by pledging to join the fight to “Blast the Trash.”

For five years, the Litter Force has been blasting into elementary schools all across Texas. Their high-energy shows and interactive battles with the Evil Trash help make litter prevention fun. And every student can become an honorary member of the Litter Force, just by pledging to join the fight. 

 The Litter Force, a group of four superheroes, aims to excite and inspire younger children to become litter-savvy and join their team. Each character uses special powers:
 

·      "Hawk" sees litter that may be hidden or is miles away.

• "Ultra" shoots a beam from her armbands that catches the trash.
• "Bolt" hears litter as soon as it is dropped and races with amazing speed to catch it.
• "K-900" the team's half-bulldog, half-robot canine, uses his expert sense of smell to detect litter and can teleport himself anywhere to pick it up.

The Litter Force's mission is to protect Texas roadsides from a gang of trash villains. The villains are representative of the most common types of litter found on Texas highways as recorded by TxDOT in the 2005 Visible Litter Study:

·      "Ciggy Butts" - Cigarette butts make up 33% of roadside litter.

• "The Chipinator" - Fast food wrappers and snacks make up 29% of roadside litter.
• "Pop Top" - Cans and bottles make up 11% of roadside litter.

• "Micro-litter" - like ketchup packets, straws and candy wrappers are also a problem. These are represented by Der Packet, Spit Wad, and Madam Gum

With more than 24 million people living in our great state and more moving in every day, there’s always work to be done in the fight against littering.

Photo:  Students at Weaver Elementary School enjoy the Texas Litter Force program.

GISD bus drivers collect food for Garland families

Kim Everett | December 24, 2011

Bus drivers at the Garland Independent School District’s Transportation Department teamed up with Good Samaritans of Garland to provide more than 6,000 pounds of food for Garland area families this holiday season.  Good Samaritans Executive Director Jim Griffin, who is also a GISD bus driver, approached the district’s Director of Transportation Brian Abbett in October with an idea about how the drivers could help Garland families.  Abbett agreed and they got busy.

The food drive was kicked off at the bus drivers’ November 29 safety meeting, when flyers requesting food donations were distributed.  The drivers gave the information to their student riders who passed it along to their parents.  Abbett sweetened the pot by offering a paid day off for the driver that collected the most food per route. 

GISD drivers transport approximately 15,000 kids per day who, with the help of their parents, donated more than 7,400 items.

Transportation Department office staff, along with several drivers, assisted by checking the expiration dates of the food, sorting, and boxing the food for delivery to Good Samaritans.

Griffin was impressed by the generosity of the drivers, staff, students, and parents.  “We have a bunch of great people here.  And these parents trust us with their most valuable possession,” he said.

NFHS LIGHT Brigade spreads holiday cheer

Kim Everett | December 13, 2011

The Naaman Forest High School Living Intervention and Guidance for Healthier Teens organization has been busy this holiday season.  The LIGHT Brigade’s main goal is to help prevent drug/alcohol abuse by young people, but the members also strive to be a positive influence – not only at school, but in the community as well.

To reach that goal members have been out in force this holiday season, and several groups have been the beneficiaries of their acts of kindness. 

Last week, they met at the Alternative Education Center to wrap gifts that the Noon Exchange Club of Garland had collected for needy children.  In addition, they had a shopping event during which they purchased household items for a family whose Habitat for Humanity home was dedicated on Saturday, December 10.  Members Joy Williams and Raven Myers, along with the organization’s sponsor, Vivian Johnson, attended the dedication ceremony and delivered the gifts to the family. 

Also on Saturday, Johnson and nine group members took gifts and snacks to the residents at the Autumn Leaves Retirement Home and entertained them with Christmas carols.  Students who attended the Autumn Leaves event include:  Kelsie Booker; Tiffany Lowe; Maya Minor; Joy Williams; Raven Myers; Astrid Hernandez; Gabby Reed; Julian Hayes; and Lynn Phan.

Autumn Leaves Activities Director Debbie Jarrett expressed gratitude for all the NFHS Light Brigade members do.  “The residents love children, and it’s so special for them to come and visit, especially at Christmas time,” she said.  “It means a lot.”

Johnson is proud of the work the club members do and she is dedicated to the organization’s success.  The LIGHT Brigade program is open to all high school students, and the members enjoy the group for a variety of reasons.  They like the feeling they get by making a difference in the lives of others and all are dedicated to its mission. 

NFHS history teacher
serves on national council

Kim Everett | November 27, 2011

History teacher Terry Cherry began his teaching career with the Garland Independent School District in 1995 at Memorial Preparatory, and he moved to Naaman Forest High School three years ago.  In addition to teaching eleventh grade U. S. history, he serves on the board of directors for the National Council for Social Studies.

Memorial Prep was a GISD school for kids at academic risk and his classes were much smaller than the classes at NFHS.  “There is more faculty at Naaman than there was student body at Memorial,” he said.  At Memorial, Cherry taught U.S. history starting with 1607 to the Reconstruction.  At NFHS he teaches U.S. history, covering the Reconstruction to current times, to approximately 170 students.

Cherry originally wanted to be a disc jockey and pursued that career early on, but his circumstances changed, and he decided to get a degree in history.  He chose history because it’s what he enjoys.  “I’m not a historian,” he said.  I’m just a guy who likes history and I like to teach it.”

“It’s important to know where we came from,” Cherry said.  “How did we [the United States] go from the little 13 colonies in less than 200 years to a world power?”  He believes that the key to getting students interested in history is to find a way to relate it to things that are happening today.

Cherry sees a lot of attention going toward math and science programs but said that most kids aren’t going to be scientists and mathematicians.  “All of my students are citizens, though, and hopefully they will be participating, voting citizens,” he said.  “I don’t care how much money we put in science and math, but we need to also put it into social studies because we are teaching citizens.” 

Through his participation on the Board of Directors of the National Council for Social Studies, Cherry gets to be involved in bringing more attention to the subject at the national level.  He was elected to the board in July after being involved on both the local and state levels for more than 10 years.  He served as president of the Texas Council for Social Studies before becoming a member of the Resolutions Committee on the national council, then joining the board of directors. 

The national council helps spread the word about the importance of social studies.  “We’ve got to get Congress to realize that we are teaching citizens about what they do in Congress,” he said.

The council promotes social studies in a number of ways which include lobbying Congress, holding national conferences, supporting social studies teachers, and conducting training seminars.  In addition, they are currently working to create a National Honors Society for Social Studies.

Cherry said that social studies is not part of the state mandated elementary school level TAKS testing, and that a goal of the council is to have social studies be as respected and well-funded as science, math, and reading programs.  It is one of the core subjects in Texas schools, but he would like to see it get as much support and attention as math, science, and reading.

“Again, not all students will excel in math or science, but every one of them is a citizen and we teach that in social studies,” he said.  “It needs to be remembered that we are just as important.”

Jackson MS hosts multicultural event

Kim Everett | November 21, 2011 -- Photos by Laurinda Falk

The Garland Independent School District’s Jackson Technology Center for Math and Science hosted the fifth annual Multicultural Night on Monday, November 7.  The event was a time for parents, faculty, and students to come together and share their differences, as well as things they have in common.  The theme was "Proud to Be an American." 

According to photographer Laurinda Falk, it was a great evening with lots of families, food, and music.  GISD’s mariachi band performed, as well as the Jackson Middle School jazz band.  “It was a lovely evening,” she said.

NFHS Rachel’s Challenge
group reaches out to children

Kim Everett | November 19, 2011

Kids from Jonathan’s Place, a Garland children’s shelter, were the happy beneficiaries of a recent community service project.  The Naaman Forest High School Rachel’s Challenge group treated the kids to a trip to Build-A-Bear where each got the bear of their choice.  The next week, the Jonathan’s Place kids enjoyed lunch at Campisi’s and a shopping Spree at Nordstrom’s Rack, compliments of the Rachel’s Challenge organization.

Since September, the group has been busy with several additional community service projects including an Eastside Shopping Center Trick or Treat event and a fundraising project for a children’s cancer organization. 

“Our NFHS Rachel’s Challenge student members have opportunities to help our community and work diligently at what they have come to love doing,” Lutitia Featherston, the NFHS Rachels’ Challenge sponsor, said. “At Naaman, we are creating an environment of caring, outreach, philanthropy, community, and an unbreakable family bond.”

The group also worked tirelessly for a girl named Six Paige Minatrea who was in need of a bone marrow transplant.  The students held many events to raise funds to help with the medical bills, and the transplant was performed in July.  Sadly, Six passed away in October.

The public can help with the group’s outreach by dropping off new, unwrapped toys at the school for the WFAA’s Santa’s Helpers Toy Drive.  The toys will be distributed to needy families across North Texas.

The school that collects the most toys by December 12 will be featured in a live newscast with Pete Delkus on December 14 at Victory Park.