Northwest News: Texan basketball ends historic season, one-act plays advance

March 28, 2017

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2016-17 Northwest Texan boys basketball team

Northwest boys basketball team ends historic season at state tournament

The Northwest High School boys basketball team ended its best season ever with a trip to the UIL State Tournament, a first in school history.

Northwest advanced to the regional and state tournaments for the first time ever, falling in the state semifinals. This year's Texan team won 33 games and had just six losses, winning district, bi-district, area and regional championships.

The team was honored at the most recent board meeting on March 20. Congratulations to the Texans for a truly amazing season!

Eaton, Northwest one-act play companies advance to UIL area meet

Congratulations to Eaton and Northwest high schools' one-act play companies for advancing to the area round of University Interscholastic League competition!

Competing at Grayson College in their bi-district meet, both companies advanced to the area competition scheduled for Friday, March 31, at Flower Mound High School. Eaton advanced with its performance of "The Diviners," while Northwest advanced with its performance of "Act One."

Both programs were well represented in the bi-district meet's honors. From Eaton, Cassie Weaver earned the Best Actress award, Vincent Harrill II and Garrett Hale were named to the All-Star Cast, and Ethan Inthisone earned the Outstanding Technician award. From Northwest, Chris Skipper and Cayden Candioto earned All-Star Cast honors with Madison Dixon earning an honorable mention, and Abigail Schraub earned the Outstanding Technician award.

Eaton High School's one-act play company

Northwest High School's one-act play company

Early voting in bond election begins next month, last day to register to vote in election is April 6

Early voting for Northwest ISD's proposed 2017 bond package begins in less than a month! 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 last day to register to vote in the election is Thursday, April 6.

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. 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.

Pre-K registration begins soon, Kindergarten Roundup to take place districtwide first week of May

A Pre-K student interacts with a touchscreen monitor

Northwest ISD's early childhood programs will soon begin important registration dates, with pre-kindergarten and kindergarten enrollment beginning in April.

Pre-K is available for children who meet specific requirements and are 4 years old by Sept. 1. Examples of qualifying students include those who meet free or reduced lunch requirements, who are ESL learners, whose parents are in the military, who are in foster care or who are homeless.

Campuses will begin accepting appointments for those who qualify for pre-K beginning Monday, April 10. Those appointments will then begin Monday, April 17. For more information, visit www.nisdtx.org/prek.

Children who are 5 years old by Sept. 1 are eligible for enrollment in kindergarten, with online enrollment beginning Tuesday, April 18. 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.

Plant sales take place at high schools April 6-8

Northwest ISD's three comprehensive high schools - Byron Nelson, Eaton and Northwest - will host their annual plant sales during the first full week of April, providing students, parents and community members with the opportunity to buy inexpensive plants and benefit local education.

All schools will host their plant sales from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 6, and Friday, April 7. On Saturday, April 8, each school will sell plants from 8 a.m. to noon. Sales will be conducted in each school's greenhouse. Byron Nelson is located at 2775 Bobcat Blvd. in Trophy Club, Eaton is located at 1350 Eagle Blvd. in Haslet and Northwest is located at 2301 Texan Drive in Justin.

A wide range of offerings will be available at each sale, such as mixed flowering and foliage hanging baskets, annuals, perennials, succulents, vegetables and more. To view a full list of plants available and their prices, click here.

Proceeds from plant sales will benefit each school's FFA program.

For more information about plant sales, please contact each school's appropriate FFA advisor. Byron Nelson's Tyler McCoy can be reached at tyler.mccoy@nisdtx.org, Eaton's Kristen Stockard can be reached at kstockard@nisdtx.org and Northwest's Casey Reid can be reached at casey.reid@nisdtx.org.

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.

Students take part in free 'Super Saturday' to prepare for AP exams

Dr. Megan Webster leads the AP Super Saturday session

School may have been out over the weekend, but that didn't stop more than 100 students from learning in preparation for their AP exams.

This Saturday, 107 students gathered at the district's administration building for Super Saturday, where they learned tips and tricks for their AP exams from guest speakers. The speakers are scorers for the exams, meaning they grade hundreds of AP exams each year and have valuable insight into the process.

To read about Super Saturday, click here.

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 not 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.

Student job fairs being held at comprehensive high schools in April

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 in April, providing students with 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, and slots are still open for businesses interested in participating.

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