As part of Northwest ISD's annual calendar creation process, the district is seeking community input for its 2020-21 calendar. Two options are available, with one option starting school on Aug. 17 and the other starting school on Aug. 13. Both feature a May 21 end date, though they have minor differences in vacation days. Voting is accepted until 5 p.m. tomorrow, Jan. 10.

High school seniors who graduate this school year can now complete Northwest ISD Education Foundation's online scholarship application, which will allow them to compete for several scholarship opportunities. The application is open through Wednesday, March 4, for students who have attended a Northwest ISD high school since at least the first day of the 2019-20 school year. This year, NEF will award more than $50,000 in scholarships!

Byron Nelson, Eaton and Northwest high schools will each host tryouts for their 2020-21 cheerleading squads on Thursday, March 5, but participants and their parents/guardians must first attend a meeting beforehand. Each meeting will take place within the next month, with the exact date varying by squad, beginning with Byron Nelson's meeting taking place today.

Congratulations to Byron Nelson senior Paige Flickinger for being named MaxPreps' national volleyball Player of the Year! Additionally, teammates Charitie Luper and Payton Chamberlain were named All-Americans by the outlet. The trio helped lead the Bobcats to the 6A state title in November, and all three were named to the all-tournament team, with Charitie being named the title game MVP.

The winter has resulted in an abnormally high amount of flu cases for the North Texas region, making it more important than ever to maintain healthy practices. That includes washing hands with soap, covering your mouth when coughing and simply using proper hygiene in general. The CDC has two great video resources for young children covering these topics: cover your coughs and sneezes and the happy handwashing song. As always, flu shots are a great way to prevent contracting the illness.

The next installment of the iNside Northwest ISD podcast is coming soon! If you missed the first installment, which discussed the history and idea behind the district's Virtual Angel Tree program, you can still listen to it at the podcast's website, www.nisdtx.org/podcast.

Byron Nelson and Eaton high schools will soon host their newest family-friendly musicals based on Disney productions. Byron Nelson will host "Beauty and the Beast" from Jan. 23 to 26, while Eaton will host "The Little Mermaid" from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2. Each set of performances begins promptly at 7 p.m. for the first three days and at 2 p.m. for the final day. Tickets are $5 per student and $10 per adult; district staff, pass holders and Gold Card members receive free admission. Tickets are now available for purchase online (or reservation for those who receive free admission). Click here to purchase or reserve BNHS tickets, or click here to purchase or reserve EHS tickets.