The Rattler Review - June 2009 - Sharyland ISD

DTHE RATTLER REVIEW AT LLOYD AND DOLLY BENTSEN ELEMENTARYChess at RegionalsTeacherBentsen Chess club members competed at the Region VIII Scholastic Championshipat Rivera High School in Brownsville, February 14th and 15th. Pictured areMatthew Pippenger, Micah Pippenger, Micheal Garcia, Jay Alanis, Ivan Rios, andEduardo Castillo.Bentsen CheerleadersWe are proud to announce the Teacher of the Year for BenMiguel Flores. He has been a teacher in Sharyland for a gbeen teaching 6th grade math the past few years. Congraton this well deserved honor.Spelling BeeWe are sending out a huge THANK YOU to our wonderful Bentsen Cheerleadersand their fantastic sponsors Ms. Alvarado and Ms. Coombe. Their hard work andenthusiasm added so much to the events they participated in this year. We appreciateall you did for us.Volunteer AppreciationIn April, we showed how much we appreciate our wonderful volunteers by givingthem a special treat. They had a scrumptious breakfast and were presented a programby the students and Mr. Butcher our music teacher. It was just a small tokenIn February, eight of our Bentsen Elementary students tooSharyland High School to compete against all the other eand junior highs for the district title and to represent our disstudents had been practicing since November to prepare foMany of our students made it to the final rounds but ultimatwon by other campuses. Everyone had a great time and clea winner for being on the team. The team coach was Ms. MMelody WaveScience AcademyTo enhance our students knowledge andconfidence for the 5th grade Science TAKSTEST our stupendous science teachers Mr.Rodriquez and Mrs. Luna designed a twoday science academy that reinforced allthe concepts they covered throughout theyear.Thanks to oursic teacher Mr,Bentsen Elemeannounce that wsen to receive tgrant. This granElectronic Chimchoirs. The instotal value ofdollars. This hoon only 5 schoTexas; of these,ementary schoo

THE RATTLER REVIEW AT OLIVERO GARZA, SR. ELEMENTSuper Sonic Rocket Flies HighPrincipalRainer CloverChess Team goesto NationalsOlivero Garza Chess Team competed at the Super Nationals ChessCompetition in Nashville, TN. on April 3 -6. Brandon Cottrell,Haley Cottrell, Jonathan Gonzalez, Caleb Hernandez, ErichKaiser, Thomas Plummer and Luis Salinas, made up the teamthat placed 12 th place out of 52 teams and brought back a trophy.Ethan Plummer and Samuel Ramon competed as individuals intheir division. Samuel Ramon received a trophy for 20 th placeout of 240 students, Ethan Plummer also placed in the top halfof his division. A big thank you goes out to our coaches MoisesHernandez and Magda Cottrell for all the hard work they did withour students this year, also thank you to the parents for theirsupport and help during the trip. The students will have a specialmemory for the rest of their lives.Pre-K Visits H-E-BPre-K AM & PM enjoyed a field trip to our neighborhood H-E-B.They participated in the program Be a Healthy Buddy. Studentslearned life-skill nutrition lessons in a fun and real-life environmentthrough the use of hands-on activities and discussion.And the Beat Goes OnAmazing Skies 2009 at the International Museum of Art and Science was hel11 th , and brought out some new shining stars! Steven Guerra, Andrea Garza, aparticipated in the Pepsi Cola Water Bottle Rocket Competition and came in$10 gift certificate for each at Wal-Mart, and $500 for science materials for OTheir rocket was named Super Sonic Rocket and shot up easily over 50 feetfrom Channel 5 news and Mario Gonzalez from Pepsi were on hand to award thClover on Thursday, April 23 rd . Congratulations Garza students!Student Council ObservesEarth DayThe O. Garza, Sr. Elementary Student Councilwas busy on Earth Day. They made postersreminding students to reduce, reuse and recycleand be good stewards of our earth. They alsopassed out stickers to each student and gaverecycled pencils to anyone wearing green or anEarth Day shirt. O. Garza says “GO GREEN!”Third Grade Thinks Green!Reduce, Reuse, and Recyclemotto at O. Garza Elemenand Ms. Salomon’s homespread the word out aboutThe children wrote about wahealthy and then illustratedH-E-B paper bags. Then thbags to HEB to be used onpeople about keeping the Ethere’s a way to get the comTrack MO.Garza enjoyed a musical treat in the gym on Friday, May1st. They were entertained by three world class professionalpercussionist musicians, Walfredo De Los Reyes,Sr., WalfredoDe Los Reyes Jr., & Daniel De Los Reyes, in a musical program.Walfredo, Jr. & Daniel are 3rd generation professional musicians.In observance of Earth Day 2009 studentsin Ms. Z. Garza’s and Mrs. M. Torres’s thirdgrade classes participated in several Earth DayProjects. The students decorated paper bagswith beautiful Earth Day pictures and quotes.Students experienced The Three R’s: Reduce,O. Garza P.E. recently tookcooler spring weather to coschool-wide track meet. Kgrade competed in variousevents for a chance to stanreceive gold, silver, and broStar Spangled Banner playedof a standing room only gym

DrTeathCongratulatof the yeMunoz, 5 th“Queen forTHE RATTLER REVIEW AT RUBEN HINOJOSA ELEMENTARYChess Team Second Place atthe Super NationalsCongratulations to the Hinojosa Chess team for winning state and placing 2 nd atNationals! Hinojosa Chess Rocks!WelcomeCongressmanRuben Hinojosa!Congressman Hinojosaread to our 3rdgrade students andthen he presentedthe Chess team withcertificates as well aspresenting some ofhis memorabilia to Dr.Arce for our school.TeacherAppreciationHinojosa Elementarycelebrates teacherappreciation weekwith “A Night at theMovies”Hinojosa Goes Green!SPTSO spearheaded an Earth Day activity by selling redand white flowers to the students who then plantedthem around the school grounds. The Caballero familygraciously donated three trees to add shade to ourplayground garden.Odyssey of thCongratulations to the Odyssfor winning 5 th place in state!Perfect AtteTAKS SupportSPTSO FundraiserSPTSO provided anafternoon of fun forthe students who solda certain amount ofitems for the springfundraiser. Studentswho were top sellersalso received a limoride and lunch at ChuckE. Cheese.Students enjoyed making kitout to fly them for our 4 thattendance activity.TeScInPuHinpaen

THE RATTLER REVIEW AT JESSIE JENSEN ELEMENTARYPrincipalMargarita GonzalezCongratulations to our“FIN”omenal 3rd gradeteacher, Mrs. Laura Rodriguezfor being selectedSharyland I.S.D. DistrictElementary Teacher of theYear.MDA Lock UPDistrict Teacherof the YearMrs. Gonzalez, our principal, was locked up to help raisemoney for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. TheSchool of FISH!, Sharylandschools, and CentralOffice personnel cametogether to bring Mrs.Gonzalez back to JensenElementary. Glad you’reback!Together We StandVolunteers’ LuncheonJensen values their parent volunteers for their dedication,hard work, and continued support of our schooland their students. Jensen honored them with a luncheonalong with prizes. Mr. Robert McAnear washonored as volunteer of the year. Special presenterwas Mr. Antolin Garza.Going GreenEarth day activities were integrated within the curriculum.Students and staff were encouraged to weargreen. Some classes created items from recycled material.In 1st grade, students created bracelets frommagazines. “Going Green to Improve the Scene,” iswhat 5th graders are doing these days.Beat the TAKSSpanish SpelSOngograHethetricCongratulations to the folldoing so well at the 2009 NMing Bee. Yahaira Jaime, PabSaenz, Karina Calvillo, and FRio Grande LivesAs a “School of FISH!" the students are standing together toSTOP “bullying”. Students are taught through counselingclasses how to prevent bullying behaviors.Pennies for PatientsThe lower grades support and encourage the upper gradesto excel on their TAKS by creating posters and chants.Readers TheaterStudents from Jensen Elemwork for our 3rd Annual Arpated in the Rio Grande ValArt Exhibit. Our 1st grader,placed 3rd in the event.SNJess6thReerankin bHouSanalsodasDieg

CynthiaSharylof thePlacesComTHE RATTLER REVIEW AT B.L. GRAY JR. HIGH SCHOOLTeacher of the YearCarla Trussell is all smiles! That’s because she is this year’sTeacher of the Year for B.L. Gray Junior High. While sheprogresses throughout the year with high expectations forher students, she also manages to win the admiration of herstudents and colleagues. Although much can be said aboutMrs. Trussell, we let the students do all the talking….“One of the lessons I remember was when she talkedabout the Chicken War. I won’t forget how Mrs. Trussellbrought her fake chicken to school and we all got to squeezeit! That was fun.” --- Daniela Cantu 7 th grade“Mrs. Trussell makes us feel comfortable in her class.Out of the entire school day, this is the class that I enjoy themost. We love you Mrs. Trussell, and we hope to keep in touchuntil we’re grown up!” ---Stephany Mercado 7 th grade“I just like Mrs. Trussell. She’s the kind of teacher youcan joke and she won’t get mad. She is easy to get along withand tells us funny stories.” ---Kassy Hayter 7 th grade“Mrs. Trussell is not like other teachers, she is like afriend to her students. She’s really nice, funny, and outgoing.Every time we come to school, we can’t wait to get to seventhperiod!” ---Destiny Sanchez 7 th grade“I really enjoy when Mrs. Trussell talks aboutsomething and acts out the story. It helps me understandbetter.” ---Alexis Garza 7 th grade“One of Mrs. Trussell’s best qualities is her greatstories. Of the stories she told us, the one that I remember isthe one she told us about when she was a little girl and had tomake her own toys.” --- Amaury Lozano 7 th grade“When we worked on famous African Americans andmobiles in Texas government, it helped me understand thelessons better and I was able to be creative with my project.The 2008-2009 B.L. Gray Junior High Odyssey of the Mind team earned 2ndcompetition in Houston. The team includes Carlos Cruz, Ariana Guzman, ValerieLaura Rojas and Alejandra Moreno. Their sponsor is Miss Adriana Tamayo. Tadvanced to the state competition after placing 1 st in the Regional CompetitiFebruary 28 th . At the state competition the B.L. Gray team competed against 11Term Problem Earthtrek. They successfully completed their task of creating an otraveled to four different environments without the use of human propulsion. Thiadvanced them to the World Odyssey of the Mind Competition in Ames, Iowa whB.L. Gray Junior High Symphonic and HonorEarn Sweepstakes TrophyBoth the Symphonic and Honor bands of B.L. Gray Junior High School in the Sharyreceived Sweepstakes at the UIL Concert and Sightreading Competition which wand 2 nd at the UTPA auditorium. The bands fall into the triple C category. B.L. GSharyland North Junior High were the only CCC schools in the entire region to eartrophies. Sweepstakes is the highest honor any band can earn at this UIL evbands are under the direction of Ms. Cathi Quick, Mr. Victor Sanchez, Mrs. EstMauricio Castellano.Sharyland Choir EarnsSweepstakes AwardOn Thursday, March 5 th the B.L. Gray Junior HighChoir competed at the U.I.L. Concert and SightReading Contest held at UTPA. They earnedthe 1 st place Sweepstakes Award. This is the topMath ProblemMoney for ChB.L. Grastudents$1,000 fothe critiSt. Jude CHospitalparticipaa-thon btasks.simply sought monetary donaworked pages of math problemthe cash. Congratulations towho participated and a speciaRomeo Cerda for organizing t

THE RATTLER REVIEW AT B.L. GRAY JR. HIGH SCHOOLRattler Swimming and Diving TeamSharyland ISD Junior High ChessCaptures 1st at State CompetiCongratulations to the Boys B.L. Gray Rattler Swim Team and Girls Diving Teamfor winning the District title. The boys have held the district title for 3 years in arow! They did an outstanding job taking 1 st place at all the swim meets. The girlsalso did an excellent job representing B.L. Gray placing 2 nd at the District Meet.Congratulations to Ciaria Briseno for placing 1 st and Regan Duleba for placing 2 ndin the Diving Category. Overall, the Rattler Swimming and Diving Team did anexceptional job and worked hard all season.The boys swim team include: Mauricio Balderas, Fransisco Beltran, FransiscoCampos, Walter Chaho, Kenneth Chandler, Alejandro Flores, Carlos Franco,Antonio Izaguirre, Victor Juarez, Bradley Klein, Diego Lozano, Victor Martinez,Ricky Moreno, Abraham Perez, Anibal Perez, Luis Saenz, Diego Sanchez, JoshSanchez, Cesar Valdez, and Santiago Velez.The girls swim team include: Ciaria Briseno, Evelyn Cantu, Fabiola Cantu, Ja YoonChoi, Maeson Dahl, Regan Duleba, Rebekah Garcia, Victoria Garcia, AdrianaGonzalez, Michaela Hernandez, Mariela Longoria, Daniela Pinto, Korinne Vale,and Jacqueline Woloski.On Wednesday, April 22,2009, students participatedin a Spanish Spelling Bee.Students had to write thewords correctly includingaccent marks. Mrs. Hilda Gonzalez, 8 th grade counselor, organized the event.Students from Mr. Hugo Alfaro’s Spanish classes and Mr. Rodolfo Hernandezclass participated. The 8 th grade finalists were Laila Kalaf and Fabiola Cantu. The7 th grade finalists were Amaury Lozano and Daniela Cantu Chapa. These studentsearned the right to advance to the Spanish Spelling Tournament which was heldat UTPA on Saturday, May 2 nd .New Pavillion Picnic TablesSpanish SpellingBee FinalistsThe students at B.L. Gray Junior High have seven new picnic tables for the pavilionarea thanks to the S.P.T.S.O. The Sharyland Parent Teacher Student Organizationpurchased the tables and benches by selling concessions after school and byraising money with their fall coupon book sales. The benches are all weather andThe B. L. Gray Knights Chess Team attended the 2009 TexaTournament on March 21-22. The team captured the first plthe Novice Division, and sixth place team trophy in the JV Divished just 2 games out of 1st place, 1 ½ games out of 2nd placThe following students competed in the Novice Division we(23rd place medal), Axel Divino (28th place medal), Allen Esccia, Michaela Hernandez, Jose Ixba (22nd place medal), Paultrophy), Seong Woo Jeong (6th place trophy), Karthick Kaydriguez (2nd place trophy), Carlos Valdez (30th place medal),and Jiawei Zhang (4th place trophy).Competing in the JV Division were: Nicholas Martinez (12thOrtiz, Christopher Pulcine, and Juan Jose Trujillo (3rd place trCompeting in the Championship Division was Sang Woo Kim.Volunteer LuncheonAfter studying Newton’s laws of motion,the 7 th grade B.L. Gray science studentsdesigned and built catapults. The 7 thgrade science teachers: Mrs. KathrynVela, Mrs. Alejandra Luna, and Mr. NathanGarcia had their students compete tosee which catapult was able to projectan object the farthest. The studentsshown in the photo competed on Friday,B.L. Gray Junior High haand community volunteevolunteers do a variety ofScholastic Book Fairs to mPit to tutoring studentsU.I.L. meets. On Thursdvolunteers were treated toas part of National Volunteevery much parents and comCatapult ComLearning LawsApril 24 th : Patricio Spamer, Gerardo Davila, Paul Diaz, AAlford. Placing third was Eugenio Perez and partner Gabdistance of 46’, placing second was Drake Alford with a displacing first was Axel Divino with a distance of 59’10”.FISHING forExemplary DoorCompetitionMotivation is key to succesHigh students have definitethis year to be successfuwith the district initiativeFISH philosophy and strivinstudents to do their best othe administration held acompetition. The theme fwas FISHING for ExemplaMrs. Elva Pena and Mrs. Matreated to lunch by Mrs. SaGray Principal. Mrs. Pena is a

THE RATTLER REVIEW AT SHARYLAND HIGH SCHOOLTeacher of the YearTeacher of the Year Profile:David Trammell, SharylandHigh SchoolClass: Animation and VideoTechnologyBackground: Fresh out ofcollege, Mr. Trammell firststarted working at Sharylandin 1968. He stayed for twoyears, and then moved toother schools. He came backto Sharyland in 1980 and hasbeen there since.Why teaching: “I’ve alwaysliked learning and teachinghas been something reallynatural for me to do. I had alot of good teachers in highschool and college; they werepretty good role models. SoI guess I was just inspired tocontinue learning and stayedin the classroom.”Best part of teaching: “Helpingpeople get into using computersoftware that they’ve neverused before and letting thembe successful with it. A lot ofstudents teach themselves, sowhat I’m doing is guiding themalong and making sure they’relearning in the right way. Imonitor their progress andmake sure they’re not havingany major problems so theycan accomplish their goals.”Most challenging: “What Iam teaching now in VideoTechnology and Animationis real challenging becauseyou’re staying on top of allthe newest developments andtrends. You can’t just read outof a textbook, like when I usedto teach science. It was a lotconcepts from a textbook andfrom doing labs; they reallydon’t change very much. Buttechnology changes every sixmonths. So it’s much morechallenging to keep up withthe subject matter and toteach it because you do haveto constantly upgrade.”If not teaching, what?: “If Iwasn’t teaching I’d probablybe in some kind of businesswhere I was doing basicallythe same thing I’m doing inthe classroom. I enjoy it, soI would probably be runninga business that uses videotechnology, video taping,or whatever was available.Another area that I dabble inis music. I have owned a musicstore in the past and I alsohave a teaching studio that Irun right now. I leave my jobat school and then teach at aguitar studio at home for threemore hours. I’m just teachingall the time, so I could neverstop!”Advice to students: “If theyare interested in computertechnology, maybe animation,or some kind of related arealike graphic design, this is agood class for them to takebecause they can get thebackground that they need.By taking this class, they willhopefully get the backgroundthat they need to get a job,either out at industry or maybein the TV world. So I’m trying tokeep those kinds of programsavailable to the students sothey’re not doing somethingthat really has no value.”Home life- “I have twodaughters and one son. My sonis 30 and my daughters are 40and 38. One of my daughter’slives here locally. She worksat a health care facility. Myson lives in North Carolina andruns a restaurant out there.My other daughter is a soccermom and lives in Jacksonville,Florida. She and her husbandown the restaurant where myson works. My wife, Kathy,and I have been marriedSharyland High School UIL Wins 30-5A DistrictAccounting Team: Leeza Villegas (7 th ), David Laing(Sponsor), Janelle Valdez (5 th ), Ayssa Cabrera (1 st )Prose & Poetry Team: Sherry Dickenson, Sponsor; MicahHortillosa (Prose), Stefan Ribelin (Poetry), Deanna Claeys(Prose-5 th ), Leslie Ramey (Poetry-1 st ), Zachary Butcher(Prose-6 th )Sharyland High School’sUniversity InterscholasticLeague (UIL) Academicteams received honors asDistrict 30-5A championsat Donna High School onApril 2 for the 51 st time outof 52 years of competition.Sharyland became champs byaccumulating a total of 364points, 70 points ahead ofScience Academy, the secondplace district winner.Advancing to Region IVcompetition or as alternateswere: Accounting-1 st AyssaCabrera and 5 th Janelle Valdez;Calculator Applications- 4 thYoonha Jeong and 6 th SangHanShin (Ana Choi and KibumSung round out the SecondPlace Team); ComputerApplications-1 st LourraineFlores, 2 nd Randy Castillo,3 rd MiJung (Michelle) Sung;Computer Science-1 st DanielMedina, 2 nd Dennis Maldonado,3 rd Caleb Watt, and 5 th CesarGarza (All four members ofthe team will compete as thetop team of the contest.);Editorial Writing-1 st Dina Perezand 4 th Ishod Vasquez; FeatureWriting-6 th Eliana Ramirez;Informative Speaking-4 thVeronica Guzman and 5 th JoseOne Act Play: Back Row: CarlosLeal, Dominique Pean, MichelleParedes, Morgan Meadors,Mackenzy Liljedahl, DeeanaClaeys, Cassandra Fuentes, AnaFleury, Andrea Elizondo, ZacharyButcher, Edward Walker. FrontRow: Juan Centurion, NathanAlhalel, Melanie Enriquez, LaurenFertig, and Ryan Watkins.2 nd Victorial Ramirez and4 th Marlee Lizcano; LiteraryCriticism-3 rd Jonathan Corya;Mathematics-5 th JongYun Lee;Number Sense-5 th SangHanShin, 6 th Ryan Martinez;Persuasive Speaking-1 st BiancaRodriguez and 3 rd Mary Ibarra;Poetry Interpretation-1 st LeslieRamey; Prose Interpretation-5 th Deanna Claeys and 6 thZachary Butcher; and, ReadyWriting-3 rd Jaime De Leon.The UIL promotes studentcompetition in academics,athletics and music. UILAcademics includes 21different competitive events.Schools competing at thedistrict level may earn pointsfor the first six places in eachcontest, as well as points fortop and second place teamsin some events. Studentsearn the right to competeat the regional competitionby placing in the top threeof most contests. Studentsplacing fourth through sixthqualify as alternates in theevent if the first, second,or third place competitorscannot compete.The SHS One-Act Play “To Seethe Stars” advanced from Zoneto the district competitionDiamCX Debate Team: Estefania BenitezItzel Martinez and Elsy Compres (1 stComputer Applications Team: LourSung (3 rd ), Cheri Rains (Sponsor), Rteam also received honors as the 1 sSharylandin compet“Nikki” RMemorialCity HS.“To See thindividualStar Cast-AElizondo, aHonorableCast-MelanAlhalel, anSHS andadvancedArea 3 contPSJA Memoadvance tohowever, treceivedBest ActreHonorableCast-MelanSharyland’Debate teaDistrict 30in FebruaSharyland’Itzel MartiEstefaniaRamones pSharylandits first dduring the 1Since that tbeen ablechampions

Madame Freligh and Essau Landa, winnerof the Rotary Academic Prize.THE RATTLER REVIEW AT SHARYLAND HIGH SCHOOLNational French Exam WinnersTamara Cantu, Karen Gonzales, Angelica Garza,Rigoberto Gutierrez. NOT PICTURED: AndelGonzalez and Monica Carranco.The following French students have placed in the National Standingsin the Grand Concours Exam taken in March: Essau Landa placed firstnationally in the Level 4 exam. Essau Landa won the Rotary AcademicPrize sponsored by AATF, the Rotary Club and Alliance Francaise. He willreceive a round trip airfare from Washington DC to Paris, a two week staywith a host family and tuition for an immersion program with the AF deParis International School of French.Angelica Garza placed 10 th in the nation on the level 1D exam. TamaraCantu placed 6th in the nation on the level 2D exam. Audel Gonzalezplaced 8th in the nation on the level 2E exam. Karen Gonzalez placed 9thin the nation on the level 1D exam. Monica Carranco placed 10th in thenation on the level 2D exam. Rigoberto Gutierrez placed 10 th in the nationon the level 1D exam. The students are taught by French teachers LindaFreligh, Martine Garcia, Maribel Squibb.Le Grand Concours is an annual competition sponsored by the AmericanAssociation of Teachers of French. Students take a written test andcompete against students with similar educational background for prizesincluding certificates, medals, books, DVDs, trips, and scholarships.Students enter the competition via their French teacher.Lifting SpiritsThrough ArtOdyssey of the MindTeam Advancesto WorldOn February 28, 2009, three highschool Odyssey of the Mind teamsand their sponsors (Mrs. Muniz andMr. Torres) traveled to Houstonfor the state competition. TeamSuperstition (Mei Zuo, Ashley Sieg,Ana Olivares, Yannin Sierra, AshlyAlonzo, Bianca Banda, and PamelaArt department teachers, Isabel Link,Chris Brown, Irma Garcia and Raul R. PerezIII receive a $4,994.00 grant from theSharyland Education Foundation and Gailand Olaf Frandsen. The grant was awardedfor Lifting Sprits Through Art foundationin which the art department works withthe Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children’s Cancerand Hematology Clinic to create beautifulimages for children in need of uplifting.TEAM HERACLES: Quinten Womack, LeslieRamey, Ana Nino, and Mark Hitchings (NOTPICTURED: Yoonha Jeong, Elizabeth Choi, andMackenzie Riegert)Garcia) placed fourth and team Shockwaves (Jaime Deleon, ThomasRivera, Silas Prado, Ryan Martinez, Levi Lara, and Scott Luke) placed thirdand missed advancing to nationals by just a few points. Team Heracles(Yoonha Jeong, Elizabeth Choi, Ana Nino, Leslie Ramey, Mackenzy Riegert,Quinten Womack, and Mark Hitchings) was awarded 2 nd place and will becompeting in World competition in late May. They will travel to Ames,SkillsUSA ElectricalTrades Wins DistrictBack Row: Hortencia Cazares-Treasurer, AnissaSalinas-Historian, Christina Rivera-Vice President,Osiris Parado-Reporter, Deseree Reyna-Secretary.Front Row: Armando Hernandez-Parliamentarian,Amanda Salinas-President, Daniel Guerra-Alternate.The Sharyland SkillsUSA ElectricalTrades students won first place withtheir Opening and Closing Ceremonyat the district competition on February20, 2009, advancing them to the statecompetition, where they placed third outof 26 teams. Congratulations to DesereeReyna (State Officer), Amanda Salinas(District Officer and State Officer Elect)and Christina Rivera (District Officer Elect)who received 1 st place in district OCC, 2 ndplace in district Emblem Ceremonies and3 rd place in state OCC. Maggie Casarez,Anissa Salinas, Armando Hernandez,Osiris Prado and Daniel Guerra received1 st place in district OCC and 3 rd place instate OCC. Michael Contreras won 1 stplace in district Electrical Skills Contestand competed at the state level. JulioHernandez won 2 nd place in both districtElectrical Skills Contests and districtTeam Works. Michael Gonzalez won 3 rdin Electrical Skills Contest and competedat the state level in Electrical TechnicalInformation. Edson Ramirez won 2 ndplace in District Team Works.National GeographicStudent ExpeditionThis summer, senior Mark Hitchings willbe traveling with the National GeographicStudent Expedition to Ecuador and theGalapagos Islands for a summer programthat focuses on photojournalism andnature photography. Mark, The Rattleryearbook staff editor-in-chief, first becameinterested in photography when he wasa freshman. He then bought a NikonD40X 10.2 mega pixel camera to takeprofessional quality pictures. Mark enjoystaking pictures at Bentsen State Park andSanta Anna Wildlife Refuge. Some of hisHead of thSeniorselectedPatrol Hstudent.ten studaround tacademicachievemDiamonds DaThe Sharyland Diamoncompeted at the AmericaContest held at the SoConvention Center on S14. The Diamonds competLyrical, Modern, Jazz, andsolos and officer routines.They did an outstandingwith 14 awards. The awaSolo Award Winner for AbiClass Medium Ensemble, OTeam Sweepstakes, OExcellence, Team Award ofAward in Team Lyrical, JudgModern, Judges Award in TOverall Presentation OffiPrecision Officers, Best OvOfficers, Best Overall ChoreBest in Class Officers.Future HealProfessioThey are homemade, smcrafted by SHS students, acookies. Mrs. Dawn SalazaPharmacology students crthat are commonly knowBACK ROW: Ashley SeigeJesus Mata, Isai GranadosLaura Dominguez, AmandROW:Jose Gomez, Ren

THE RATTLER REVIEW AT SHARYLAND HIGH SCHOOLMiguel Alanis Signs toParticipate in Cross Country and Track &Field for Texas State UniversitySharyland’s Miguel Alanissigned a Letter of Intenton Thursday, April 9, toparticipate in cross countryand track and field at TexasState University in SanMarcos, Texas. For the pastfour years, Miguel has beena member of the Sharyland varsity cross country and trackand field teams. This year, Miguel was part of the 1st TeamAll-District in Cross Country Regional Qualifier, 2nd Team All-Valley in Cross Country, and the 2nd Team All Regional in CrossCountry State Qualifier. In Track and Field this year, Miguelwas a regional qualifier in the 1600 m and 3200 m run.Edwin Jones Signs to Swim forLindenwood AcademySharyland’s Edwin Jonessigned a letter of intenton April 2 nd to swim forLindenwood Academy inMissouri. Edwin has beena member of the varsityswim team for the pastfour years and is currently the varsity co-captain. He swimsin the 500 yard freestyle, the 200 yard individual medley, the200 yard medley relay, and the 400 yard freestyle relay. Hewas also a part of the 2006 and 2008 district championshipteam and was a regional finalist all four years of high school.Brandon Reyna Signs to Play Golf for UTPASharyland’s Brandon Reynasigned a Letter of Intent onThursday April 9, 2009 to playgolf for the University of TexasPan-American in Edinburg,Texas. Brandon has been amember of the boys varsity golfteam for the past four years.For all four years, Brandon has been a part of the districtchampionship team and has been on the 1 st team All Valley.Marco RodriguezSigns to PlayBaseball forMidland JuniorCollegeSharyland’s Marco Rodriguez signed a Letter of Intent onApril 2, 2009, to play baseball at Midland Junior College inMidland, Texas. Marcos who plays short stop/pitcher forthe Rattlers has been a starter on the varsity team since hisfreshman year. Last season, he had a .486 batting average;Sharyland High School EarnsJostens National YearbookDesign RecognitionSharyland High School’s yearbook, The Rattler, hasbeen recognized for excellence and featured inthe 2009 Gotcha Covered Look Book. Publishedannually by the yearbook leader Jostens, the LookBook features yearbook spreads and covers fromaround the country. The Gotcha Covered Look Bookis a popular reference guide for yearbook advisersand staffs seeking creative design and coverageideas, trends and inspiration.The Rattler (Volume 66) was created by CarolinaFabela, Glenda Garcia, Manuel Gonzalez, AmandaLanderos, Sasha Landeros, Priscila Lestarpe, JosePablo Lopez (Editor), Norma Lopez, Iris Oliveira,Tanya Padilla, Everica Rivera, Gabriella Rodríguez,Luis Santelises, Jennifer Serratos, Thalia Sobrerilla,Kyle Watson, and Seanacie Weber under the directionof Mrs. Patricia Coleman, yearbook advisor.The Sharyland High School yearbook was one of only435 yearbooks selected from thousands submitted toa panel of judges that included nationally recognizedscholastic journalism professionals and awardwinningyearbook advisers.Softball TeamFRONT ROW: Brianette Salinas, Jackie Guzman, BailiSandvig, Vanessa Bautista, Pryscylla Marmolejo, andJazmin Coronado. BACK ROW: Coach Paul Cruz,FFA Area ComQualify for StatThe Sharyland Chapter Fcompeted in the Area Xweekend of April 11-12. Aftein District 30-5A, the team pteams at Area competitionstate qualifiers to competeon April 18-19. The team cCarter, Ty Barrientes, Trey G(6 th place individual high pKelly, Jaime Cortez, and Zefeindividual high point at areon a great year.Congratulations to theTeam for qualifying for StaCompetition in STC on MarcArrendondo and Jaime DeWrite It to Do It and placedScience. Michelle Sung an1st in Chemistry Lab. Luisplaced 2nd in Forensics. JoZuo - placed 1st in AstronomAlex Tajonar placed 2nd in JAlan Lopez placed 2nd in ExLuis Garza and Miguel2nd in Health Science. Theoverall. They traveled to Cofor the State Competition onstudents are very talentedand work very hard to getI am very proud of them,”Science Olympiad sponsor.Boys and Girls TDistrict 30-5AThe District Tournament inwith 2 team Championships.the Boys District 30-5A tCaptured the Girls District 3qualifiers were: Alejandro TTajonar- Boys Doubles DJesus Rajona and Rafael QueDistrict Runner Ups; KlauEvelyn Garcia-Girls DoublesAna Nino- Girls singles DNathan Alhalel and Lila VeronDoubles District Champions.At Regionals, the mixed doVeronica Martinez and Natsecond qualifying them to aTennis Tournament. Alex T

THE RATTLER REVIEW AT SHARYLAND HIGH SCHOOLService Leaders:Students Inducted intoNational Honor SocietyBoys Track and Field Win 30-5A DistrictGirls Track and Field Wi“The price of leadership is sacrifice-the willingnessto yield one’s personal interests for the interestof others,” said Aracely Gonzalez at the inductionceremony held in the Library Lecture Hall onThursday, February 19th. Leadership is a keyelement expressed in National Honor Society. Tobe inducted into NHS, students must completeat least 30 hours of community service, half ofwhich must be tutoring. To continue membership,seniors who were inducted the year before mustcomplete 15 more hours of community service,also half of which must be spent tutoring. Thisyear, members and inductees were required totutor at least four hours at Rattler Pride Academy.Five seniors and 38 juniors were inducted intoNHS. The ceremony started with the lightingof the five candles- knowledge, scholarship,service, leadership, and character. Each officerlit her candle and explained her theme. Next theinductees were called up to receive their certificatefrom Principal Chapa, and the NHS sponsor,Mrs. Cantu, performed the pinning ceremony.Then students were asked to take the NHS oath.After the ceremony, students met in the libraryhall and celebrated with friends and family overfood and drinks.Girls Golf PlacesThird at RegionalsCongratulations to the Sharyland Track Team for winningthe 30-5A District title this year. The track team set severalnew school and district records and will advance 16 athletesto the regional track meet in San Antonio. Sharyland wonfirst place by a clear 42 points over second place Rio GrandeCity. Congratulations on all your success at district andgreat job!Girls Soccer Team Win in Bi-DistrictThe Lady Rattler Soccer team was the 30-5A District Runnerupand advanced to play and beat Laredo Alexander in Bidistrict.The Lady Rattlers played Harlingen South (ranked#1 in the Valley) but came up short. They finished with a finalrecord of 18-8 and were ranked fourth in the Valley. Thefollowing girls were awarded 1 st team all district recognition:Mandy Gonzalez (forward), Alejandra Cabrera (midfield), andJerry Benavides (defender). Blanca Gomez was announcedas the new comer of the year and Paty Alanis (forward) andOdette Leal (defender) were awarded 2 nd Team All Districtrecognition. Honorable mention was awarded to defendersAlex Pena and Vanessa Rocha. Congratulations on a greatseason.Baseball District ChampsCongratulations to the LadTrack Team for winning themeet on April 18-19. At the mefor the regional competitionCongratulations on an outstandBoys Soccer Win Area CThe varsity boys soccer team30-5A championship and advbidistrict championship gameRattlers continued on to beatSchool and were awarded Athe Regional Quarter-finals, tshort against Brownsville Lopeboys finished with a district recoverall record of 23-6-2. The follawarded recognition for beingAll District: Roberto Meza (forwLa Garza (midfielder), and RenGuillermo Lozano was awardbeing the most valuable player aHernandez was announced asCongratulations on a great seasBoys Golf Places ThirdThis year’s Varsity Girls golf team took home the wellearned title of 30-5A champs at district. On April 20 ththe girls traveled to San Antonio’s Pecan Valley’sGolf Course for a two day regional tournament.The girl’s did an outstanding job getting themFRONT ROW: Oscar Gonzalez, Eric Gutierrez, Casey Klein,Adam Peña, Eric Garcia, David Lugo, Tyler Tredaway andFernando Perez. BACK ROW: Ashley McCubbin (Manager),Mario Orozco, Marco Rodriguez, Fernando Martinez, AngelCongratulations to the varsitcompeted at the regional tournaand placed third. The team (conReyna, Carlos Pena, Aaron RGaona, and Abraham Ancer) travto play at Pecan Valley Golf CourDistrict 30-5A Championship. Ab

TDTHE RATTLER REVIEW AT SHARYLAND NORTH JR. HIGH SCHOOLEducation Foundation Grants Spring 2009SNJH was awarded two grants. The Diamondback TV grant submitted by EstebanAbrego and Darvin Koenig will allow us to take our Live Morning Announcementbroadcast to another level. The Classroom Responders grant submitted by CammyGreenman and Martha De Leon will allow the students to take a more interactive rolein their education through the use of technology.Sharyland North Jr. High WSA Champion DazzlersThe Sharyland North Junior HighDazzlers Dance Team attended theWorld Spirit Association Island BeachClassic Competition on April 18 th inCorpus Christi. The Dazzlers competedin the following three categories: HighKick, Military and Pom. Their hard work,discipline and dedication paid off bigtime as they came home with three firstplace team trophies, four individualmedals for each girl on the team, and three team banners for each school dance teamcategory. Your Sharyland North Jr. High WSA Champion Dazzlers are: Jazlyn Oyuela-Captain, Brianna Gonzalez- Captain, Pamela Perez, Nicole Acosta, Aimee Cazares,Daniela Gonzalez, Tina Martinez, and Andrea de Leon.Chess TeamThe Chess team recently competed at theState Chess tournament held in McAllen.The Novice team (Zac Salazar, CristianBarbosa, Carlos Garza, and Kristina Neely)placed 8 th . The JV team (Abigail Espinoza,Diego Segura, John Diaz, Justin Reyna,Marco Hinojosa, Rey Lopez, YamyoMonie, and Andres Guzman) placed 7 th .The Championship team (Kaitlyn Albrecht,Josue Hernandez, Laura Cantu, and LuisMaldonado) placed 7 th . An Individual Trophy was won by Zac Salazar, who placed 10 thin the Novice section. Individual medals were won by Marco Hinojosa – 25 th place inthe JV section, and Luis Maldonado – 29 th in the Championship section.Diamondback DramaSNJH Diamondback Drama presentedthis year’s U.I.L. One-Act Play, YouCan’t Take It With You, by Moss Hartand George S. Kaufman, on Friday, May15, 2009. You Can’t Take It With Youchronicles the humorous tale of theeccentric Sycamore family whose mainpurpose is to enjoy life to the fullest.When their mainstream daughter, Alice, brings home her boss’s executive son asCongratulations to this year’s Teacher of the Year Mrs. DeSchuster had much success implementing Read Now Powedesigned to help students improve their reading skills.SNJH Symphonic and ConcertCongratulationBand Studentsperformanceand Sight-readstudents gavperformance awith the prestiAward. This is tjunior high banSNJH Concertdirection of Mwon the preClass” award at The Coyote Band Festival held recently atArts Center. This event also marked the first competition“Sub Non-Varsity” group in the history of Sharyland bandDonationOur nurse’s office had a very successfulvaccination clinic during our OpenHouse March 9, 2009. Dr. Alfredo andMrs. Gonzalez came with their staffand were able to vaccinate 33 studentswith the required Tdap and Meningitisvaccines. We were quite surprisedMathThe Mathcouthird placechampionshipthe team werChristian OchHector Bautista, Aaron Ibanez, Elijah Hight,A.J. OgletreWyatt Keller, Victoria Harris, Hiram Garcia and Sara Ramowho was the third place individual at the meet, earnedCompetition.

THE RATTLER REVIEW AT SHARYLAND NORTH JR. HIGH SCHOOLSpecial Olympics Region Choir Boys and Girls GMrs. Keith’s students recentlycompeted at the Special Olympicstrack meet held in April. Thesestudents placed: Edgar Gonzalez– Gold medal 25 meter run withwalker and Silver medal softballthrow; Sharahlee Gomez – Goldmedal 200 meter run; JeremyWesterman – 4 th place 100 meterrun and Gold medal softballthrow; Sammy Lopez – Bronzemedal 100 meter run and 5 thplace softball throw.Odyssey of the MindCongratulations to the Odyssey of the Mind Teamwho competed in State Competition in Houston.They worked very hard for months to receive 1stplace at the Regional Competition and then went onto win 4th place against competitors from all over theState of Texas. The team included Jeremy McDonald,Savanna Antley, Dakota Miller, Kayla Ruiz, CesarSaenz, Jerry Sanchez, and Aaron Martinez.TAKS Pep RallyEarning a seat inthe Region Choir isthe highest honora junior high choirstudent can achieve.Congratulations tothe following studentswho competed wellenough to earn a seat in this choir: 7th Grade - CourtneyAllen Soprano II 3rd chair, Alaura Haynes Soprano I 4thchair, Savannah Mason Soprano I 19th chair, Mireya ReyesAlto 4th chair, 8th Grade - Khadijah Comma Soprano I27th chair, Mariah Uhling Soprano II 5th chair.MathandScienceTeamCongratulations to the Sharyland North Junior High Mathand Science Team. Out of the 74 5A schools representedat the State Championship Meet at the University ofTexas, San Antonio, our junior high came in 18th place inMath and 27th place in Science. Our overall Sweepstakesplace was 25th out of 74.TMSCA (Texas Math and ScienceCoaches Association) State Competitors: 8th grade - AlexAranda, Elijah Hight, Aaron Ibanez, Wyatt Keller, ChristianOchoa, Ross La Grange, Chris Saenz, and Miranda Zapata;7th grade - Hector Bautista, Hiram Garcia, Aaron Martinez,John Lee, and Robert Sloane.TrackThe boys and girls 7 th and 8 th grade teams all won first placeat the District meet held on March 27 th in Valley View.Girl’s Soccer District ChampsThe Sharyland North Boys andup the season with great sucTournament. Both teams placeight other schools! Most Valugo to Hector Bautista and Saof them won first place medindividually on the boys tMcDonald who came in eighthKarina Pompa finished 5th anwon sixth place. Other memDistrict team who helped bringwere: Wyatt Keller, Rodi TorrJohn Glenn Garcia, Javi ElizondBrandon Garza and Nuraddinthe Girls District team were :GaCisneros, Brianna Ortiz, ClaVilarreal, Alexis Garcia and KassSwimming and DiOn Friday, April 24th Sharylacompeted in the district swmeet in Roma. The girls wofor the fourth year in a row.a tremendous job by placingis happy to share the district tschool B.L. Gray. Both schoolsfriendships between the twoyear. This leads to a powerfwhen the swimmers merge inhigh school.UIL TeamThe students were treated to a great time at our TAKSPep Rally. Many special guests were present includingthe Chic-Fil-A Cow, the RGV Vipers mascot , generalmanager and two of the cheerleaders, elementaryprincipals Mrs. Karen Meadors from Wernecke andrd

THE RATTLER REVIEW AT ROMULO D. MARTINEZ ELEMENTARYOur very own Mr. andMrs. Romulo MartinezR.D. Martinez ElementaryThanks Our VolunteersR.D. MartinezLibrarianReceives aContribution!RoMs. O’Donnell (Principal), and Mr. and Mrs.MartinezMr. and Mrs. Romulo Martinez made asurprise visit for teacher/staff appreciationweek. Mr. and Mrs. Martinez delivredsweet bread “pan dulce” for all theteachers and staff to enjoy.Cream of the CropChess Team Finalist ofR.D. MartinezOn behalf of the Martinez staff, S.P.T.S.O. and CommunityLiaison, the parent volunteers were honored with a continentalbreakfast to show how much their precious time and effortsare appreciated at Martinez Elementary. The parents enjoyed amusical presentation given by students and received a gift bag.Going Green Club and Student CouncilPlant More Trees!Our school librarian, Mrs. Mogenerous contribution of $450.Council Members and their spoGarcia and Mrs. Lanetta Misage. TMembers took the initiative to rais“Smencils” which are actually pencand made from recycled paper. Tused to purchase more books adamaged and lost books.Chucky CheeseMartinez ElemeStudents competed at nationalcompetition in Nashville Tennessee. Thestudents placed 16 th out of 43 teamsnation-wide. R. D. Martinez also workedvery hard throughout the year competingagainst other valley schools.Beat the SAKS!The students in thelower grades at R. D.Martinez preparedfor their SAKS testing.The students from theupper grades cheeredthem on with posters,chants and songs.The students paradedThe Going Green Club and the Student Council Club memberscame together to beautify R. D. Martinez Elementary to make ita more beautiful place. The Going Green Club and the StudentCouncil Committee worked hard all year and raised enoughmoney to purchase trees for the school. The goal for both groupsis to have enough trees to grow and provide more shaded areasaround the school. The students were eager and enthused toplant those trees!TAKS RallyR. D. Martinez held a TAKS rallyto cheer on all students takingthe TAKS test. The lower gradelevels performed cheers, chants,and even songs to pump up andmotivate the students to passthe TAKS. The students enjoyedSave the EarthThe students in third grade performedon S.P.T.S.O. night. The MartinezElementary students performed a varietyof songs which included “EvergreenEverblue, The Recycle Rap, and What aWonderful World” to the students andparents of the community.The students at Martinez Elemexcited when visited by Chucky Cduring “Family Night” parents, senjoyed an evening of games andunity and support for our campus.

THE RATTLER REVIEW AT JOHN H. SHARY ELEMENTARUIL Intradistrict Champs Again!PrincipalSara AlvaradoShary’s Teacherof the YearOur second grade teacher, Mrs. Rebecca Corpus, wasselected as our school’s Teacher of the Year. She encouragesand motivates her students to want to learn. Mrs. Corpussaid that she finds teaching to be a very rewarding professionthat provides the opportunity to make a difference insomeone’s life. “I believe it is an accomplishment above allto have such an impact on our future leaders”, respondedMrs. Corpus. “The experiences I gain from teaching arepriceless and above all valued greatly.”Shary Elementary Fourth GradersBecome Published AuthorsShary Elementary fourthgraders became publishedauthors. A shipmentof their own booksarrived at the campus.Five classes created abook of their own. Eachstudent contributedwritings and an illustration.The program behind the published works is called StudentTreasures. It supports fourth grade curriculum by reinforcingthe writing process. The final product, a published book,provides motivation for revising and editing.“It is really great to hold a published copy of your own,”said Hannah Santiago.With the help of Student Treasures, schools can providevivid and professional books at little cost.The Shary Elementary librarian was presented with acollection of each of the five, limited-edition classroombooks. The books were donated to the library with fundingfrom a Wal-Mart Foundation grant.Surprise Author VisitShary Elementaryhad the distinguishedhonor of having aspecial guest, wellknownauthor Dr.Carmen Tafolla, dropby to visit with Mrs.Espinoza’s class andsign copies of her latest books, What Can You Do with aPaleta? and What Can You Do with a Rebozo? Studentslook on as she describes another book, That’s Not Fair!Emma Tenayca’s Struggle for Justice. Carmen Tafolla haspublished work for both children and adults in more thantwo hundred anthologies, magazines, journals, textbooks,It has been a winning UIL season for the students atJohn H. Shary Elementary. For the second year in arow, the trophy for the UIL Intradistrict competitionhas been awarded to this outstanding group.Students in grades 2 nd – 6 th grades compete in theareas ranging from Art, Mathematics, Science, toStorytelling. First place trophies were awarded atthe Wernecke Elementary Invitational, John H. SharyInvitational, and Sharyland High School Invitationalmeets. Our district team members recently competedin the Regional Elementary UIL Meet on April4 th . Sharyland hosted the meet and took 1 st placeoverall in UIL Sweepstakes. UIL gives students theconfidence, drive, and knowledge to succeed. Specialacknowledgement goes to the teachers and staff thatdedicate hours every week to coach and prepare thestudents for their event. Thanks also go to the SchoolBoard and administration for making UIL a distinctpart of Sharyland.Shary Knights MakeWinning MovesThe John H. Shary Elementary Chess Team participatedin the 2009 Texas Scholastic Chess Championshipin McAllen on March 22-23, 2009. A total of thirtystudents competed as 4 divisional teams. The PrimaryJV team placed 9 th , the Primary Championship teamplaced 7 th , the Elementary Novice team placed 4 thand the Elementary Championship team placed 7 th .Individual results include Fernando Valdivia – 16 th(Prim. JV), Abram Flores – 4 th (Elem. Novice), AdolfoHerrera – 20 th (Elem. Novice), Carolina Guerrero –30 th (Elem. Novice) and Christopher Koenig – 12 thTeam Shary - RegionalChampions, State Finalistcoached by Mr. De La RosaTeam RELTTAR - RegionalQualifiers, State Finalistcoached by Mrs. Vargas andMrs. BassTeChcoKicking It Up, SoSJcttfSin Houston. They compefrom all over the statetheir goal competing as StElementary had the mosttheir school with two Regioa Division two Regional quaaccomplishment since it waElementary has competededucational program. Waythe Mind teams!The John H. Shary soccer tgreat time this year. SharyJensen, Bentsen, ShimotElementary. This was our firs

THE RATTLER REVIEW AT HARRY SHIMOTSU ELEMENTARYShimotsu Chess State ChampsTeacher of the YearKathy Corbin, 5 th grade Scienceteacher at H. Shimotsu, was votedTeacher of the Year by her coworkers.Ms. Corbin has taught inSharyland for nine years serving Anat Martinez Elementary, HinojosaElementary, and H. ShimotsuElementary. Students are very excitedwhat they learn in Ms. Corbin’s class.and exemplary teacher.Pictured from left to right are:Tomas Galvan, Risharb Kothari, Gabriel Martinez, Andrew Gonzales,EthanInocando, Deland Delac, Luke Ycu, Ayushi Agarwal, Stephen Limon, HanniyahJaved, Julio CarbajalShimotsu’s Primary JV Chess Team placed FIRST in the State ofTexas! Team members competed nationally in Tennessee onApril 3 rd and 4 th ! Now that’s the way to make Shimotsu shine!Library NightEarth DayMentor BreakStudents and parents at Shimotsu recently gathered fora night of reading enjoyment. Shimotsu Librarian, ZulemaBewley, organized a night of poetry presentations byShimotsu UIL team members and time for parents andchildren to read together.Odyssey of the MindShimotsu Pre-K and Kinder students got intothe spirit of Earth Day by painting shirts.Students also planted a tree donated byPre-K and Kinder parents.Library Kite DayTeachers and students attended aorganized by the counselors. Theopportunity for mentors and theirinteract and get to know one anoprovide support and a positive roleat Shimotsu.Dr. Seuss’ BirthShimotsu shines again with two fourth place finishes atthe state competition for Odyssey of the Mind in Houston.Shimotsu’s team competed in the “Classics Problem”where they researched Greek Mythology and created a skitportraying the Lost Labor of Heracles. Another team fromShimotsu competed in the “Humorous Problem” whereStudents who met their AR Goals 2 out of 3times during the first semester were invitedto make and fly a kite. Zulema Bewley,Shimotsu Librarian, organized the eventwith much help from parent volunteers andher library assistant, Ms. Alviso. Studentsenjoyed the kite flying event. It just goesKinder students at Shimotsu celebirthday in a big way. This is Lisa Hinall dressed up for the occasion.Pep RallyStudShimpep rof cufashiEuroandget sTAKSTeachers for TAKSThird, fourth and fifth gradeteachers at Shimotsu got intothe spirit for a special dancepresentation during a FridayPep Rally. Students were

PrincipalKaren MeadorsBirthdayCelebrationMay 7 th was a big day at Wernecke Elementary. We celebrated Mrs.Donna Wernecke’s 83 rd birthday! All the students were able to celebratewith Mrs. Wernecke by singing Happy Birthday and eating birthday cake.Congratulations Mrs. Wernecke Thank you for letting us celebrate withyou on your special day!2nd Grade Field TripLiving MuseumTHE RATTLER REVIEW AT DONNA WERNECKE ELEMENTAHarvard BoundOur Principal, Mrs. Meadors was recentlyselected from a large group of principalsacross Texas to attend Harvard University thissummer. She will be attending a week longconference entitled, Leadership: An EvolvingVision. It is a great honor and we are reallyproud of her. Way to go Mrs. Meadors!Wernecke’s second grade studentshad the pleasure of visiting Rancho ElCharco on their field trip. The childrenand adults alike had a blast. We wereguided every step of the way as weexperienced the petting zoo, a wagonride, a waterfall, fishing pond, anda science lesson about the plant lifecycle. It was a wonderful day to beout and exploring and learning aboutnature.Mrs. Keller’s LivingMuseum was a huge hitwith the students andparents. The childrenhave been workingvery hard on creatingbiographies about someone that changed the lives of others. Thestudents dressed in a costume to emphasize the character they studied.Eleanor Roosevelt, Sojourner Truth, Albert Einstein, and Sacagawea,were a few of the characters that could be seen. Awesome job 2 ndgrade!Made in the ShadeWernecke Elementary studentsnow have a shady place to restduring P.E. or recess thanksto our SPTSO. Students areable to enjoy hanging out inChess TeamGoes to State!The 2009 State Chess Tournament tookplace this past March 21st & 22nd atthe McAllen Convention Center. OurAWESOME chess team members, JaredHeiden, Michael Guerra, Jonathan Boyles,Kevin Mealing, and Jose Hortillosa servedour campus well, and we are very proudof them. Wernecke placed 14th out of30 participating teams, and Jared Heidenplaced 29th out of 173 participants in theElementary Novice Division. Way to go!Family Reading NightThursday, April 16 th , students at WerneckeElementary celebrated National LibraryWeek by attending a Family ReadingNight. Students were entertained by astoryteller, and had a visit from a belovedstorybook character. They also enjoyedthe face painting and door prizes thatwere donated from Barnes and NobleBooksellers. Parents were invited tocome read with their children, enjoyrefreshments and had the opportunity topurchase books for summer reading. Theparents and teachers who were involvedin this effort had an enjoyable time as theycelebrated libraries and reading.WritingWorkshopOur 3 rd grade studentsparticipated in aWriting Workshophosted by Dr. BillMcDonald. Students learned a variety ofbrainstorming and writing strategies. Thestudents were very involved and enjoyedDr. McDonald’s style of teaching. HeTeacher ofthe YearCoMwTeMvealShasheElveTrack TWernecke Track Teamdistrict meet, Friday Mfantastic job with severahome a ribbon. Way to gVolunteer LWernecke Elementary eat a luncheon held inour volunteers. On bTeachers, and Studentto say “Thank you voluwho can, do. Those wvolunteer”. - Author UnMarvelous Mof MotOur 5 th grade studentband cars. It was the Maof Motion Grant fundedThe students loved learnair resistance, potential a

Selected as the 2009-2010 District Teachers of the Year are Laura Rodriguez fr2009-2010 SHARYLAND I.S.D. TEACHERS OF THE YEARMiguel FloresLloyd & DollyBentsen Elem.Sandra BarronOlivero GarzaElementaryShannon MuñozRuben HinojosaElementaryLaura RodriguezJessie JensenElementaryCarla TrussellB.L. GrayJunior HighDavid TrammellSharylandHigh SchoolDebbie SchusterSharyland NorthJunior HighFernanda EsparzaRomulo D. MartinezElementaryRebecca CorpusJohn H. SharyElementaryKathy CorbinHarry ShimotsuElementaryAnn SumersDonna WerneckeElementary