Northwest News: Byron Nelson cheer to perform in Macy's parade, top teachers honored

April 17, 2017

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Byron Nelson cheerleaders to perform in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Byron Nelson High School cheerleading squad has been selected to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year, sending them to the largest annual parade in the world.

The Bobcat cheerleaders will head to New York to perform in the parade based on their 2016-17 homecoming routine, which was selected by Spirit of America Productions as one of the qualifying performances. Few cheerleaders perform in the parade each year - Spirit of America selects performers for its ensemble based on invitation and qualification.

Since 1924, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has served as a staple of the United States holiday season. More than 50 million people watch the parade on television, and more than 3 million people attend it in person. This year's parade will take place Thursday, Nov. 23.

For information on how to support the team's fundraiser to pay for the trip to New York, click here.

District names Teachers of the Year

Northwest ISD recently honored its Teachers of the Year as well as Exemplar Educators at each campus, along with other top district personnel.

At the seventh annual Inspire Celebration on Thursday, the district named Thompson Elementary School's Ashley Mooneyham as Elementary Teacher of the Year, while Medlin Middle School's Julie Hinshaw earned Secondary Teacher of the Year. Both will now advance to the Region XI Teacher of the Year competition, where a finalist will be chosen in elementary and secondary categories to advance to the state competition.

In addition to the Teachers of the Year, the district honored Employees of the Year, each school's Exemplar Educator, personnel who have been with the district for 25 or 30 years, and recent retirees. To see a full list of each category, click here.


Ashley Mooneyham Elementary Teacher of the Year	Julie Hinshaw Secondary Teacher of the Year

Early voting in bond election begins next week

Early voting for Northwest ISD's proposed 2017 bond package begins next week! From April 24 to May 2, residents in Northwest ISD boundaries can vote early on the referendum. May 6 serves as Election Day for regular voting.

The proposed bond package would add new schools and expand some existing schools. All schools would also see security and technology upgrades, among other aspects.

Two informational meetings will soon be held, where community members can ask the superintendent and district officials questions about the bond. Tomorrow, April 18, the district will hold a special Facebook Live Q&A and presentation on its Facebook profile at 6:30 p.m. From 6-7 p.m. Thursday, April 20, community members can attend a bond presentation at Byron Nelson High School, and from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, community members can attend a presentation at the district's central offices.

To view an overview of the bond, click the link to video above. For a full list of items proposed as part of the bond package, visit www.nisdtxbond.org.

Kindergarten Roundup to take place districtwide first week of May

A Pre-K student interacts with a touchscreen monitor

Northwest ISD's Kindergarten Roundup will take place the first week of May, providing incoming kindergarteners with the opportunity to learn about their future schools.

Children who are 5 years old by Sept. 1 are eligible for enrollment in kindergarten. Following enrollment, each school will host these incoming students as part of Kindergarten Roundup.

Though enrollment takes place online, parents and guardians must still bring appropriate documents - including birth certificates, immunization records and proof of residency - for the campus to review. Both online registration and document review can be completed at the campus during Kindergarten Roundup.

Each of Northwest ISD's 17 elementary schools serves kindergarteners, and exact dates and times for each school's Kindergarten Roundup can be seen by clicking the corresponding school link at www.nisdtx.org/kroundup.

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Three district students, one team qualify for UIL Academic State Meet

Three Northwest ISD students and one team will represent the district at the upcoming UIL Academic State Meet, the top academic competition in Texas, after finishing near the top in their events at their regional academic meets.

Northwest ISD will be represented by the following students at the state meet:

Nathan Newton (Eaton High School), current events
Taylor Glissman (Eaton High School), editorial writing
Hannah Stauss (Byron Nelson High School), poetry interpretation
Eaton High School current issues team (Zack Flowers, Avery Nennmann, Nathan Newton, Zach Sheehan)

Additionally, Eaton's Emma Bluestein earned state alternate status in informative speaking, and Byron Nelson's Luke Chitwood earned state alternate status in prose interpretation.

The UIL Academic State Meet will take place April 21-22 at the University of Texas at Austin.

Promote literacy by taking part in Northwest Reads on April 28

Want to help promote literacy? Volunteer to read to elementary school children for an hour on Friday, April 28, as part of Northwest Reads.

From 9-10 a.m., each Northwest Reads participant will choose from a variety of books to read to pre-kindergarten to fifth-grade students at one of Northwest ISD's 17 elementary schools. The program provides community members with the opportunity to inspire district students to become lifelong readers.

All volunteers must pass a criminal background check. Visit www.nisdtx.org/pie and click the "Volunteer Background Check" link in the section navigation to complete this check.

To become a volunteer reader or learn more about Northwest Reads, visit www.nisdtx.org/northwestreads.

Student job fairs being held at comprehensive high schools this week

Students visit with a business at a PIE job fair

Northwest ISD's Partners in Education program will hold a job fair at each of the district's three comprehensive high schools this week, where students can obtain information about job opportunities in the community.

Job fairs will be held around lunchtime at each high school, where tables will be set up for area businesses to meet with interested students. Byron Nelson's job fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 18; Eaton's job fair will take place 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 19; and Northwest's job fair will take place 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20.

Businesses will provide students with information about their job openings, which students could use to find summer jobs, after-school jobs or similar opportunities. The job fair is free to attend.

For more information about the job fairs, please contact Phil Beckman, Partners in Education specialist, by phone at 817-215-0172 or via email at pbeckman@nisdtx.org.

Community folder provides news and updates about third-party events

Northwest ISD's community folder, located at www.nisdtx.org/communityfolder, provides district families with information about events and services in the area that are hosted by third parties (and not Northwest ISD).

These events include camps, sporting offerings, local business services and more. Simply click the "Approved Flyers" link (click the "+" icon on smartphones and mobile devices) to view all the current or upcoming events and services. Local organizations and businesses can also provide information on this website to offer their flyers for distribution in the community folder.

Did you know...

From November 2016 to January 2017, Northwest ISD saved nearly $100,000 in energy costs over the same period the prior year.

The district contracts for more favorable electricity rates to obtain better prices, and it's also working to decrease its electricity usage overall. Charles Ashby, the district's energy manager, is working to help all 28 campus buildings become rated as Energy Star buildings for their cost effectiveness in regards to energy. Buildings have already begun transitioning to LED lighting to become more energy efficient and use less electricity.

Northwest ISD will continue to work to conserve more energy to lessen its electricity costs in order to use that money for other initiatives.