The Farmer Pride Daily Has Moved!
LHS Cheer in Nation’s Top 5
Feb. 11, the Lewisville High School (LHS) large varsity co-ed cheerleading team finished fifth in the nation when they competed in the National High School Cheerleading Championship (NHSCC) in Orlando, Fla.
The LHS large varsity co-ed cheerleading team center-stage for their performance in the NHSCC.
The LHS cheer program was founded 25 years ago by Dixie McMath and David Wright, pioneers in the world of co-ed high school cheerleading. It boasts a long running tradition of being the best large co-ed program in the state. In the last eleven years, they have won 10 state championship titles and qualified to compete in the NHSCC every year.
The large co-ed division is one of the most difficult divisions to compete in because it involves collegiate-style cheerleading with five or more male cheerleaders. It is rare for high school programs to have male cheerleaders, and those that do often have a difficult time training them in gymnastics and partner stunting. LHS is unique because it has continuously added talented male cheerleaders to its program.
For LHS, the road to nationals begins each year as soon as their season completes. Spring conditioning, which includes a rigorous fitness program three days a week in addition to stunt and tumbling lessons twice a week, begins in March. In June, LHS cheer coach Joi Cartmill, with input from a choreography team, carefully selects freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity cheerleaders to compete on the large co-ed squad. For a month in the summer, these elite competitors practice five days a week.
“In only six months we have to have a polished, clean, collegiate level routine ready to perform at our regional competition where we qualify for nationals,” Cartmill said. “Unlike many schools that recruit students specifically for competition and do not cheer at games or other school events, our program cheers all year.”
While these award-winning cheerleaders spend countless hours practicing and preparing for competition, they also support the Fighting Farmers and entertain crowds at the majority of LHS sporting events and many other activities throughout the year.
You might think these outstanding athletes and students are already pushing their schedules to the breaking point, but many of them also find time to attend outside gyms where they perfect their tumbling techniques and practice other skills needed to be the best of the best in the sport. Their hard work and difficulty level routinely earn them a place with the nation’s elite.
“Our athletes and their parents put in countless hours to fundraise and train for this prestigious competition,” Cartmill said.
The most distinguished high school squads in the country compete in the semi-finals at NHSCC for a chance to make it to the finals and ultimately win the division championship. Only the top five teams are selected for the nationally televised ESPN highlight show.
Fifth in the nation! Go Farmers!
NHSCC is sponsored by the largest cheerleading organization in the world, Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA). UCA’s CEO lists LHS as one of the stand out programs that is “always up there” as one of the top teams.
“We take pride in our tradition and in our pursuit to be excellent and one of the best in the nation,” Cartmill said. “I’m so proud of our cheerleaders!”
Take a “Spin” at Parkway Elementary
Student teacher Geovanne Garcia “spins” a lesson on art, geometry, and science for kindergarten through second-grade students at Parkway Elementary.
Teachers at Parkway Elementary (PES) know how to “spin” lessons on art, geometry, and science into one engaging, memorable moment for learners. Last week, kindergarten through second-grade students couldn’t take their eyes from University of North Texas student teacher Geovanne Garcia as she used a potter’s wheel to spin a flat disc of clay into a cylinder.
“This flat-disc is an example of a two-dimensional object,” Garcia said as she explained geometry at work. “What we’ll end up with is a cylinder; an example of a three-dimensional object.”
In addition to first-hand observation of the creation of ceramic art, students learned about the science of friction that naturally helped Garcia shape the clay.
“Geovanne is already an awesome teacher,” PES art teacher and Garcia’s mentor Kristin Huckle said. “I’m so proud of her.”
“Integration of all these lessons into one isn’t an easy task. With Ms. Huckle’s guidance, Ms. Garcia did a great job,” Principal Judy Miers said. “Students are going to remember those concepts because she made them real and used hands-on examples.”
Calendar Set for 2012-2013 School Year
LISD’S Board of Trustees approved calendar option B for the 2012-13 school year during their regular meeting Feb. 13. Highlights include a start date of Aug. 27, a full Thanksgiving week break for students, and two weeks of winter break. Students, faculty, and staff will return Jan. 7, and school will release for the summer June 6 (pending any bad weather days). Click here to see the full calendar.LHS Boys’ Soccer Ranked in Texas’ Top 20
This morning ESPNHS released its winter boys’ soccer state rankings. Take a look and you’ll find Lewisville High School at number 19 with a current record of 8-2-1. The rankings are updated weekly on Mondays and fans hope to see the Fighting Farmers climb the ranks. Click here to see their remaining schedule and plan to catch a game. Go Farmers!
Writing Role Models at DeLay Middle School
Students in Brandy Williams’ sixth-grade English/language arts class at DeLay Middle School (DMS) are working on their writing skills and serving as role models to elementary students at the same time. They recently wrote and illustrated original stories using the skills they have learned so far this year and then used Skpe to share the stories with elementary students. With tales told, DMS authors took questions from their elementary audience. This lesson helped inspire readers and writers at both the middle and elementary school, unlock creativity, and instill confidence. DMS students were proud of their hard work, and elementary students now look up to the accomplished sixth-graders. DMS is definitely working to accomplish LISD’s mission!
Recent Award Winners
4 Make All-State Band! LHS musicians Ashlyn Phillips (horn/fifth chair Concert Band), Marisa Garza (alto clarinet/first chair Concert Band), Ryan Langer (tuba/fifth chair Symphonic Band), and Alex Tomkovich (Euphonium/first chair Symphonic Band) all made All-State Band when they auditioned at the Texas Music Educators Association this week. For more on their road to state, click here.
5 Named National Merit Finalists! All five LHS National Merit semifinalists were named Finalists by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) this week. Congratulations to seniors Amanda Bosson, Rachelle Cates, James Cooke, Nancy Nguyen, and Logan White! This achievement puts these students in the top .1 percent in the nation. NMSC winners will be announced in March. For more on the NMSC program and the announcement of all LISD semifinalists, click here.
LHS District Champion Girls Wrestling Team. (Pictured below top to bottom, left to right.) Coach Gardner, Jessica Lopez, Brittany Marshall, Thalia Matamoros, Jennie Kim, Joe Daniels, Maria Mulero, Bea Sanchez, Yessica Martinez, and Selphia Galloway.
Girls Wrestling Brings Home District Champ Title! LHS’ girls wrestling team, made up of Jessica Lopez (second place), Brittany Marshall (first place), Thalia Matamoros (first place), Jennie Kim (first place), Joe Daniels, Maria Mulero (first place), Bea Sanchez (first place), Yessica Martinez (first place), and Selphia Galloway (second place), recently won the District Championship title. These wrestlers will compete in the regional tournament Feb. 10-11 at Arlington Martin H.S. The top four placers in each weight class will earn a trip to the state tournament.
LHS Boys Wrestling Second in District! LHS’ boys wrestlers, made up of first-place winners Erick Polanco, Clay Lewis, and Rodrick Williams and second-place winners Minh Hoang and Eddie Martin, placed second as a team in the district meet. These wrestlers will compete in the regional tournament this Feb. 10-11 at Arlington Martin H.S. The top four placers in each weight class will earn a trip to the state tournament.
DECA Competitor Advances to State! LHS student Alejandro Moreno won the Hospitality Sales Professional Selling event of the District DECA Competition. He will compete at the state level in Corpus Christi in March. DECA is an International Association of marketing students. For more information on DECA click here.
Former Farmer now a Minnesota Gopher! Scott Ekpe, a December 2011 LHS graduate, has signed a national letter of intent to play football at the University of Minnesota (UM). Ekpe has already enrolled and is attending classes at UM. Click here to learn more about him. This summer, fellow Farmer Rodrick Williams, who also signed a letter of intent to play for the Gophers, will join Ekpe. Click here to read about other LHS athletes who will move on to compete at the collegiate level.
The LHS Swim and Dive team does their traditional group cheer before their final home meet of the season.
Swim Team Sets Records This Season! LHS’ varsity swim team recently ended its season at The Colony Aquatic Center. Freshman Francesca Schmitt established new freshman records in the 50 free with a time of 27.53 and the 100 free with a time of 1:00.01. The girls 200 free relay of Francesca Schmitt, Lydia Gulnac, Valerie Larson, and Lauren Fowler missed the school record by 0.35 with a time of 1:48.53. The girls 200 medley relay of Lauren Fowler, Lydia Gulna, Morgan Schmitt, and Francesca Schmitt dropped five seconds from their best time this year and Raffi Kaftajian dropped three seconds from her time in the 100 fly. During the last home meet of the season, the team honored its seniors with flowers, a photo, a short speech about their future plans and a small reception. All the seniors plan to attend college next year. Check out the LHS Facebook page to see photos from the evening. (Thank you to Kelly Woelke for providing the photos!)
Congratulations LHS Varsity Boys Soccer; 2012 Lewisville Cup Champions!
Boys Soccer Team Wins Lewisville Cup, Girls Place Third! LHS’ varsity boys soccer team finished the Lewisville Cup Tournament 3-0 with the 2012 champion title! The varsity girls team finished third in the tournament with two wins and one loss.
Published! LHS creative writer Katrina Pursley has been published in “Acclaimed: 2011 Poetry Collection.”
Elementary “Mathletes”: College Street, Hedrick, Lewisville, Rockbrook Elemantaries Focus on Math
Elementary schools all over Lewisville ISD (LISD) are helping students become “mathletes.” In January, College Street, Hedrick, Polser, and Rockbrook Elementaries kicked off math clubs for third- and fourth-grade students. During club time, students don’t realize they are actually mastering valuable math skills while enjoying games and after-school snacks.
The clubs, made up of approximately 20 students per campus and led by highly-qualified teachers, meet twice a week to focus on fact fluency and problem solving using a software-based “Fasttmath” program and fact pack games.
In addition to the clubs’ teacher, at Hedrick fifth-grade student mentors assist learners as they work through problems. Students at all participating schools were specially selected for the club based on the results of diagnostic testing. They will meet a total of 26 times before the end of the school year. Upon completion, students will take the same diagnostic test in order to determine progress.
Development of the math clubs is a collaborative effort between LISD and the University of North Texas. They are funded by a supportive community member. Check out the Hedrick Elementary Facebook page for more photos.
Not to be out done by these “mathletes,” Lewisville Elementary (LES) took another approach to math mastery when it held “Math Night” in late January. On this evening, kindergarten through fifth-grade students and their families joined LES staff to enjoy valuable time together working through as many as twenty-four math games that reinforced concepts students are learning in class. From measurement and shapes, to probability and data analysis, activities reinforced that math is fun and gave parents ideas to incorporate at home. To assist with relevancy, many of the activities incorporated real-world application elements. After all, meaningful and relevant work engages students in profound learning!
Students in Ramona Holder’s first-grade class at Lewisville Elementary use the “Now Lab” and “Fasttmath” to get ready for second grade!
LES students also have daily access to “Now Lab,” a mobile computer lab that allows students to play “Fasttmath” games while also enhancing their knowledge of technology. The “Now Lab” also provides access to other educational software in all academic areas according to grade level.
“Insights with Dr. Waddell”
Did you know LISD has a talk show? In the latest edition of “Insights with Dr. Waddell” middle school students join LISD Superintendent Dr. Stephen Waddell to discuss fine arts. Thank you to students Noah Khan (Killian Middle School), Madison Heggins (Durham Middle School), Wil Anyanwu (Griffin Middle School), Kate Fernandez (Downing Middle School), and Whytney Reeves-Kirby (Forestwood Middle School) for your participation!
“Insights” is a great way for parents and the community to hear how the district’s Strategic Design is impacting learning.
Lewisville HS Moves to District 5-5A
Feb. 2 was a big day in the world of Texas high school football and basketball; it marked the University Interscholastic League’s (UIL) biennial district realignment announcement. So how will realignment affect the Lewisville High School (LHS) Fighting Farmers in the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons? In short, they will trade face-offs with Allen, Plano, Plano East, and Plano West High Schools for new opponents Denton Ryan (Ryan) and Coppell (Coppell) High Schools. Other LISD high schools, Flower Mound, Hebron, and Marcus will also make the move with LHS from District 8-5A to District 5-5A rounding out the six-team district.
“We’re moving from an eight-team district to a six-team district,” LHS Athletic Coordinator and Head Football Coach Gregg Miller said. “Four teams from each district will make the playoffs. It’s not going be easier, but the percentages will be better.”
The Farmers can already anticipate the challenges they the will face when they meet Flower Mound, Hebron, and Marcus on the gridiron in 2012 district play, but Coppell and Ryan will bring new tests.
There’s no doubt the Coppell Cowboys, led by Head Coach Joe McBride, will be a force to reckon with. The Cowboys have made seven playoff appearances in the last 10 years. They finished their season 12-1 in 2010; 6-4 in 2011. Some irony will exist when McBride and his coaching staff take on the Farmers in the final game of the 2012 regular season; he played as a Fighting Farmer as did Offensive Coordinator Michael Odle and Inside Linebackers Coach Kirk McBride. Odle was the quarterback, and K. McBride the center, on the Farmers 1996 state-championship squad.
“I expect Ryan will make a smooth transition from District 4 Class 4A to our 5A district,” Lewisville ISD Athletic Director Randy Mayes said.
The Ryan Raiders have been undefeated the last two seasons and have held the District Championship title for three consecutive years. The team has made five state championship appearances in the last decade and won titles in 2001 and 2002.
Although the non-district schedule has not been finalized, the tentative schedule slates the Famers to go head-to-head with former District rival Plano in week zero, followed by Ennis (Aug. 31), Irving (Sept. 7), Arlington (Sept. 14), and McKinney Boyd (Sept. 28) weeks one through four. Week five will be open.
District play will begin week of Oct. 13 (week six of the season). The Farmers will host three home games in district play against Flower Mound (Oct. 12), Ryan (Oct. 26), and Hebron (Nov. 2). They will visit Marcus for Battle of the Axe (Oct. 19), and Coppell (Nov. 9).
