Published: April 10, 2007 10:48 am      

Elkhart ISD School Happenings for 4-8-07

HIGH SCHOOL

• TAKS Tutorials — TAKS Tutorials are now being offered at the Elkhart High School from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. These tutorials are being offered to give students extra help in regard to the science and math TAKS tests that will be given April 17-20.

• Upcoming Events — Thursday, report cards; Saturday, ACT Test Day; April 21, THEA Test Day; April 18, extended deadline to register for Credit by Exam for Acceleration.

• Senior Student of the Month — Senior Student of the Month is Chris Yonts, son of Bill and Sally Yonts. In his free time he likes to fish, play video games, play poker, and workout. His special interests are playing sports and watching TV. Yonts has served his community by coaching a Little Dribblers Basketball team and by bringing a little cheer to nursing home patrons with Christmas gifts. In school Chris plays Varsity Football, Basketball, and Baseball. He also belongs to the National Honor Society and Quill and Scroll Club. Yonts has received many honors during his high school career. He has been chosen as a member of the All District, Area, East Texas and State Football Teams. Yonts is on the All District and Area Basketball Teams. He also is a member of the All District and Area Baseball Teams. Yonts’ goals for the future are to play college football while acquiring his degree. The things Yonts likes best about Elkhart High School are the coaches, teachers, and administrators because they support the kids through everything.

Teacher comments include:

Mrs. Reece: "Chris Yonts is a dedicated student, a hard worker, and a very reliable student. He does his job to the best of his ability."

Coach Nettles: "Chris Yonts-Great student, great athlete, and great character. What else do you need to say."

Coach Smith: "Chris is probably the hardest working student-athlete that I have ever had the privilege of teaching and coaching. His work ethic, combined with his level of ability and intelligence, will take him wherever he wants to go in life."

Mrs. Starkey: "Chris Yonts is a fine young man who possesses one of the strongest student work ethics I have seen in many years. He will be a success because of this alone. Additionally, Chris is an individual who seems to command regard and respect from his peers as well as the faculty. He is a natural leader who demonstrates a pleasant presence, respect for others, and what used to be referred to as "gentlemanly character."



MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Students of the Month — The eighth grade Student of the Month for March is Sarah Blake. She is the daughter of Jake and Karen Blake. She has one sister, Kristen Blake, a senior at Elkhart High School. She currently serves as president of the Student Council and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She also is a member of the National Junior Honor Society and participates in numerous athletic activities, such as volleyball, basketball, softball, cross country, track, and cheerleading. When she is not busy with school-related events, she is active in her church and enjoys riding four wheelers and dirt bikes, hanging out with her friends, and playing touch football.

As far as future plans, Blake plans to graduate with honors and go to Stephen F. Austin State University to study pediatric and critical care nursing. She also has a deep passion for animals and wants to manage an animal rescue center for cats and dogs.

“My salvation with God is very strong,” Blake said. “I’m a tomboy who loves playing football, wrestling, etc. with the guys. I am very independent and can hold my own.”

It is because of that determination and positive attitude that her teachers are confident that Sarah will achieve her goals. Congratulations, Sarah, on being chosen March 8th Grade Student of the Month!

Teachers and staff chose David Johnson as the Seventh Grade Student of the Month. He is the son of Steve and Susan Johnson. He has one brother, Trevor. Johnson has received numerous academic honors and is a participant in the Gifted and Talented program. He also is a member of the National Junior Honor Society and is currently enrolled in Advanced Science, English and Math classes. When he is not busy with academic tasks, Johnson enjoys playing soccer, reading, and playing with his many pets (three dogs, three cats, two fish, one crab, and four horses to be exact). When asked about his future plans, Johnson states he has not decided on a course of study, but does plan on attending college. According to Mrs. Rosas, “David is an avid reading who has a love for learning new things.”

Chosen as the 6th grade Student of the Month for March is Cole Bridges. He is the son of Matt and Emily Bridges. He has one sister, Catie, who is a fifth grader at Elkhart Elementary School. Bridges is a favorite among teachers and peers because of his pleasant attitude and hard working nature. He is always looking for ways to help out classmates. You can count on him to do his best, no matter what the task. He has been involved with Academic UIL this year, along with basketball, baseball, and football. He has dreams of someday playing in the MLB. With his hard work and great attitude, nothing is impossible for Cole.

• Texas Quiz Show — Four Elkhart seventh graders participated in the regional round of the Texas Quiz show in Ft. Worth March 31. The Texas State Historical Association sponsors this statewide competition and winners move on to the state level of the competition in Austin. The participants were Anthony Stephens, Cooper Grounds, Chance Coppedge, and Coulton Lindeman. These young men made it to the semi-final round before being defeated by Cross Timbers Middle School.

• Dates to Remember — Tuesday through Friday, online TAKS testing; Wednesday, Middle School Band Site Reading Contest; April 16-20, TAKS testing; April 23, Bad Weather Make Up Day, school will be held as usual; April 24-27, spring break.



ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

• Robotics — Mrs. Cline's first-grade class has been reading about robots in reading class. The students then built robots out of boxes or cans and wrote creative stories about the robots! It is fun learning about robots.

• Art Show — Pat Rainey, elementary art teacher, entertained about 300 parents and other guests at the recent Elkhart Elementary Art Show. Works of art from every elementary student in Pre-K through fifth grade were displayed around the entire elementary gym for exhibition. Jonathan Estrada, elementary music teacher, began the night's festivities with songs and dances from his various music classes. Refreshments were served by the Elkhart PTA. Special thanks to all the elementary aides for helping prepare the gym for the night.

• “Killer Shark” Accelerated Reading Party — About 200 students from Kindergarten through fifth grade earned the right to attend the latest accelerated reading party. Six students won the honor as top readers for each grade represented. Kindergarten had to have 34 points to attend and Shawnee Vaughn was top point winner with 97.4 points. First grade had to have 54 points and Jacob Terrell won with 127 points. Second grade had to have 60 points for the party and Lacie Clark was the top person with 171.6 points. Third grader Cheyenne Vaughn won with 205.3 points when the third graders only had to have 70 points to attend. Fourth grader Cole McCully was top point winner with 321.1 points when they had to have earned 75 points to go to the party. Fifth graders had to earn 110 points to be invited and Nathaniel Douthit received 332.2 points, making him the overall school winner with the most AR points. Kids enjoyed the various games around the theme of Killer Shark: Shark Bait Relay Race with toe sacks, Beach Volleyball, Ring the Sharks Tooth with rings and cones, Rowing in Shark Infested Waters using scooter boards and sticks as oars, and Sand Castle Building, stacking plastic cups high.

• Pre-K and Kindergarten Round-Up — Elkhart Elementary School is hosting its Pre-K and Kindergarten Round-Up from 8:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday in the elementary gym. To enroll in the Pre-K program, children who are 4 years old by Sept. 1 will be considered first, then the 3 years old children next. These programs are based on family income. Priority will be given to those children who are unable to speak or understand the English language, or are from a family whose income, according to standards set by the State Board of Education, is at or below subsistence level. Others will be served on a first come, first serve basis. To be eligible for kindergarten, the child must be 5 years old by Sept. 1. To enroll a child, you must have the following when you come: birth certificate, immunization record, social security card, proof of income (check stub, w-2 form, tax return, etc. for the Pre-K program), parent's drivers license, and proof of residency. Please bring the child with you so that screening may be done.

• Cookbooks for Sale — The elementary staff still has their "Grade A+ Recipes" cookbooks for sale. Cost is $10 per cookbook and can be purchased from any elementary staff member or at the elementary office. Profits from the sale of the cookbooks help fund supplies and materials needed throughout the year. These cookbooks will make wonderful Mother's Day or birthday gifts for the woman in your life.

• Parent Report Card Pick-up — Elkhart Elementary School will have parent report card pick-up April 9-13. Notes have already been sent out from the teachers for sign-up times, however if you haven't signed for a specific time yet, please check with your child's teacher for times still available. This conference is important for your child's education and his/her specific needs. For more information, please call 903-764-2979.

• Dates to Remember — Monday through Friday, Parent Report Card Pick-Up; 8:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Pre-K & Kindergarten Round-Up, elementary school gym; Thursday, Report Cards; April 17-19, TAKS; April 20, Doughnuts for Dad, 9 a.m., and NASCAR Dress-up Day; April 23, regular school day, no holiday; April 24-27, spring break.

• Student of the Month — Student of the month for March is Jessica Morse, 11-year-old daughter of Brenda and Brian Morse of Elkhart. She is the youngest of five children in her family. Morse is in Mrs. Seale's fourth-grade class. She enjoys playing sports, reading books, and drawing. Jessica is just a few points short of completing the final level for Accelerated Reading this year. When asked about her plans for the future, Jessica said she hopes to become a veterinarian. She loves animals and would enjoy working with them. Her fourth grade teacher says that Jessica is an exceptional student who strives to do her best and will, without a doubt, achieve whatever goals she sets for herself in the future. Jessica is a responsible student who tries to do everything that is asked of her. No matter how difficult the assignment, she tackles it head on without any complaints. Her favorite subjects are math and science. Besides keeping up with her class work, Jessica helps as a peer tutor and teacher's helper. Her sunny disposition and eagerness to learn makes her popular with her classmates as well as her teachers.

• LEP Summer School — Elkhart Elementary School will be offering a summer school program for limited English speaking students who will be entering Kindergarten or First Grade next year. The 2007 summer school program will be offered from June 4 -27. This program is designed to help limited English speaking students be more successful when school begins next year. Please contact the Elementary school office to register for this program by May 1. You must be 5 years old before Sept. 1 and you must reside in the Elkhart School District.