hannel iews - Channelview Independent School District - Region 4

3Academic achievements turn heads‘Double-digit’ gainsshown in scoresover 5-year periodThe academic performance of studentsin the Channelview Independent SchoolDistrict continues upward as scores onthe Texas Assessment of Knowledge andSkills (TAKS) have shown sharp increasesover a five-year period – includingdouble-digit gains in some areas.“I believe that great things happen whenteachers, students and parents all unite ina common goal of success,” ChannelviewISD Assistant Superintendent Carla Voelkelsaid. “We must remain focused on providingthem with the best education possible.”Academically, student performance throughoutthe district and at all grade levels reached alltime highs. Eight of the district’s nine eligiblecampuses were rated either Exemplary orRecognized by the Texas Education Agency.The district’s curriculum plan is turningsome heads when looking at the increase intest scores since 2005. Science scores showedthe highest jump with a 30-point increase overthe five-year period. In addition, Math scoresshowed strong gains with a 23-point increase.Reading scores showed a 12-point jump, whileYEAR Reading Math Writing Science Social Studies2005 74% 60% 84% 47% 79%2006 80% 62% 86% 56% 80%2007 83% 70% 87% 61% 85%2008 85% 72% 92% 61% 88%2009 87% 78% 90% 63% 86%2010 86% 83% 92% 77% 94%writing scores reflected an eight-point increase.TAKS results from the 2009-2010 school yearshowed that the students in the district had a94 percent passing rate in Social Studies, a 92percent passing rate in Writing, an 86 percentpassing rate in Reading, an 83 percent passing ratein Math and a 77 percent passing rate in Science.According to the state guidelines, thedistrict’s Writing and Social Studies scoresare at “exemplary” levels, while Reading andMath scores are at a “recognized” level.Science scores have shown atremendous increase since 2005, jumpingfrom 47 percent passing five years agoto 77 percent passing last year.While scores continue to increase across theboard, officials said Secondary Math and Sciencestill remain two primary areas of extra focus.District officials said what matters most isthat Channelview ISD students are showingcontinuous improvement, assisted by theefforts of dedicated and talented educators.Campuses awarded state Gold Performance AcknowledgementsThe Texas Education Agency awardedseveral Channelview ISD campuses with itsGold Performance Acknowledgements forhigh levels of achievements in the classroom.According to the state, the Gold Performancesystem acknowledges districts and campusesfor high performance on indicators otherthan those used to determine accountabilityratings on the Texas Assessment of Knowledgeand Skills test. The awards are given forcommended performance, which refersto the number of students examined thatscored at or above the commended standard– and for comparable improvement, whichis a measure that calculates how studentimprovement has increased each year.Channelview High School and AliceJohnson Junior High and the district wereawarded for commended improvement in socialstudies. In addition, De Zavala Elementaryearned commended improvement awardsin math and science, while also receivingcomparable improvement in reading and math.The report showed that McMullanElementary was honored for commendedimprovement in math and Hamblen Elementaryreceived comparable improvement honorsin math. Cobb Sixth Grade Center receivedcomparable improvement ratings in math andreading, while Harvey Brown Elementary washonored for their high student attendance rate.For a detailed look at the district and statereports for the 2009-2010 academic year, goto the Texas Education Agency’s AcademicExcellence Indicator System (AEIS) website atwww.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2009.

4Leadership role a perfect fit for NunezChannelview High School honor studenthelping others as part of Mayor’s Youth CouncilToday’s students are often referredto as tomorrow’s leaders. ForChannelview High School’sSha’Kayla Nunez, leadership roles areopportunities that suit her perfectly.Nunez is senior class secretary, a memberof the National Honor“I feel that givingback is the greatest giftthat one can give.”Society and an activemember of the CHSStudent Council andInteract Clubs. She is alsotaking dual credit collegecourses at San JacintoCollege. And that’s justa brief summary of allthat she’s involved in.Now she is takingon another role – as a city government leader.Nunez was selected to the Mayor’s YouthCouncil for the City of Houston. Nunez wasselected to the 30-member panel out of more than300 Houston area students that were nominated.As a representative of District B on the YouthCouncil, she is gaining an understanding ofcity departments and building rapport withcommunity leaders, citizens and electedofficials. Nunez and fellow council memberswill be called upon to help make decisionsaffecting Houston’s youth and participate innumerous activities throughout the year.In addition, Nunez isSha’Kayla Nunez,Channelview HighSchool seniorplanning town hall meetingscovering topics of interestand concern to their peers,participate in communityservice projects, both sponsoredby the City of Houston and byother community organizationsand gather important inputfrom other students through theannual Houston Youth Survey,the results of which are presented to City Council.“I love to be involved and I enjoy helpingpeople,” Nunez said. “Serving on the YouthCouncil is a new and exciting challenge forme. I am learning so much about the workingsof city government and meeting so manypeople. I’ve learned that governmentChannelview High School senior Sha’Kayla Nunezis working alongside Houston Mayor AnniseParker as part of the Mayor’s Youth Council.is about the people and listening to theirconcerns and needs. I have always enjoyedhelping people in any way that I can.”See Nunez, page 9Face of a $5,000 scholarship winnerAéropostale selects senior Ashton Crowther forhonor and national advertising display campaignFun and fitness at Harvey Brown ElementaryHouston Texans Community Relations representatives hosteda Fitness Day at Harvey Brown Elementary School. Studentswere able to run through a variety of fun football-oriented drillsthat teaches students the importance of physical activity.Channelview High School seniorAshton Crowther was recentlyawarded with a $5,000 scholarshipin the Aéropostale Real Teenscontest. He was selected from apool of 6,000 teens nationwide.Crowther was chosen becauseof his academic, athletic andvolunteer accomplishments. Heis active in the school’s studentgovernment organization and is avarsity swimmer and tennis player.

Klenow named state’s top art teacher5Trish KlenowChannelview High School art teacher Trish Klenow hasbeen named as a 2010 Outstanding High School DivisionArt Educator by the Texas Art Education Association.Klenow was formally honored at the TAEA’s annualconference in Austin on Nov. 12. Every year, the organizationrecognizes outstanding members of the association that“represent the best of art education in Texas.”Klenow has taught at Channelview High School for 13 yearsand has received high praise for her abilities in working withstudents. Over the past two years, many of Klenow’s studentshad artwork that received high ratings in the Houston LivestockShow and Rodeo competition as well as the TAEA’s Visual ArtsScholastic Event (VASE) and Society for Performing Arts events.2010 Region BandA sound that’s clearly ‘ Superior ‘Falcon Marching Band dazzles judges for second consecutive yearTwice is nice for theChannelview HighSchool Marching Band.For the second consecutive year,the band received top ratingsfrom all judges at the Region 19Marching Band Competition.CHS was one of only five bandsto receive the highest rating froma field of 15 bands in the Class 5Acategory. Channelview then advancedto the UIL Area competition.At the regional event, band membersand dancers from the Channelettesperformed “Koto,” a Japanese-themedroutine. Channelview High’s stellarperformance came only two weeksafter receiving a “superior” rating atthe Galena Park ISD Marching BandFestival. Thirty bands in Class 4Aand 5A from the Greater Houstonarea participated in the event.Channelview’s band is directed byAaron Allison. He is assisted by JenniferSnyder Tunik, Andrew Herrera, MarkSantos, Amanda Tietjen, Josh Grayand Rachel White. The Channelettessponsor is Suzanne Hutchins.

6Bond projectstaking shapethroughoutthe districtAt several campuses around Channelview ISD,seeing concrete slabs being poured and steel beamsbeing put into place are becoming a common sight.Construction crews can be seen daily workingon building projects throughout the district,funded through a $111 million bond issueapproved by Channelview voters in 2009.Additions at Brown, Crenshaw, De Zavalaand McMullan elementary schools are takingshape quickly as exterior walls are in place - andbrick and interior work is now underway.The bond program is designed to address rapidenrollment growth throughout the district and toreplace aging facilities. District growth is followingthe predictions of demographic studies as thisyear’s enrollment is over 8,000 students. Furtherstudies have shown that those totals will show adramatic increase of 9,921 students by 2015.Construction began in early January for thethe new Band Hall addition and athletic dressingroom additions at Channelview High School.Renovations to the district’s Agriculture Complexon Wood Drive, along with construction of thenew Transportation and Maintenance Departmentfacilities that will be located near the currentTransportation facility on Sheldon Road.Here is a look at some of the other projectsthat will soon occur in the district:Early Childhood Center andEndeavor Alternative CampusLand has been cleared for the new EarlyChildhood Center and Endeavor AlternativeCampus across the street from the currentfacilities on Sheldon Road. Foundation work onthe facilities will begin sometime in January.Aguirre Junior HighThe district has purchased property for thenew Aguirre Junior High on Wallisville Road.TOP PHOTO: Groundbreakingceremonies were heldfor the additions at fourelementary campuses.ABOVE: Bay Architectsreleased this design of thedistrict’s new football stadiumand central gymnasium.AT RIGHT: Exterior workis nearing completion atDe Zavala Elementary.The campus is named in memory of Lance Cpl.Anthony Aguirre, a CHS graduate who was killedin military action in Afghanistan. The new facilitywill be the second junior high in the district andprovide relief to Alice Johnson Junior High.New Athletic FacilitiesPlans for a new football stadium and centralgymnasium are in the design phase. The facilitieswill be constructed near the current site of thedistrict’s Annex building on Sheldon Road.

In the swing for...Scholarships!7The ChannelviewScholarship Foundationhosted the 13th annual B.H.Hamblen Golf Tournamentat River Terrace Golf Club.After a day full of long drivesdown the fairway and clutchputts, the graduating seniorsof Channelview High Schoolemerged as the real winners -with more than $36,000 beingraised for scholarships.CorporateSponsorsPlatinum SponsorsBay ArchitectsPerdue, Brandon,Fielder and Mott, LLPGold SponsorsCoastal Teacher SupplyPurcell ConstructionSilver SponsorsAndrews Kurth LLPBallard ExplorationDivisionOne ConstructionDrymalla ConstructionHunton DistributionJosten’sLyondellBasellMcGriff, Seibels andWilliams of Texas, Inc.Marshall ConstructionTerraconWoodforest National Bank

8Dropout rate steadily decreasingHard work, extra effortshelps district’s numbersfall to 1.2 percentState and district reports both show thatdropout rates have shown a significant decreasein Channelview ISD over the past four years.According to the Texas Education Agency’sAcademic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS)reports and district data, the district’s overall dropoutrate was 1.2 percent for the 2009-2010 school year– which is a positive turnaround from 2006, whenthe dropout rate was reported at 7.1 percent.CISD officials said have been working hardand intensifying our efforts to keep kids in schooland give them the tools that they will need to besuccessful. Educators said they want to keep studentsengaged and interested in the learning process.Superintendent Greg Ollis stated that thekey to success in the classroom is the teachers’ability and commitment to build a professionaland personal relationship with the students.“When you let the students know that you care,they will go the extra mile for you,” he explained. “Ourteachers truly care about these students and their wellbeing.That has made all the difference in the world.”In addition, schools offer extra tutorials andcredit recovery programs to help give studentsthe resources they need to be successful. Schoolofficials have also heightened their efforts to trackthe progress of students so that they will be able toprovide them with any assistance they might need.Dropout recovery programs like the Reach Out toDropouts Walk have grown and have encouraged students toreturn to school. This year, eight students returned to schoolas a result of volunteer efforts during the annual event.While the district is working to lower the dropoutrate even more, the officials are placing a large focuson the district’s completion rate. The completion rateis determined by the number of students who start highschool in the ninth grade and finish with their same class.“We have implemented several programs tohelp monitor these students,” Ollis said. “Weare all making special efforts to make surethat no student falls through the cracks.”98765432107.15.32.3All1.26.15.27.35.32.7 2.70.5AfricanAmericanFor the fourth year, more than 40volunteers hit the streets of Channelviewto encourage students to return to school aspart of the Channelview Independent SchoolDistrict’s Reach Out to Dropouts program.The Reach Out to Dropouts Walk washeld as part of a regional effort with theCity of Houston and other area districts.As a result of the walk, eight studentscommitted to return to school – with fourof them re-enrolling at the high schoolthat day. The other four students had madearrangements with school officials to finalizepaperwork so they could return to class.High School officials said arevery pleased with this year’s results,remarking that when some of thesestudents saw groups of volunteers cometo their door, – it encouraged themto want to come back to school.After the first week of school, addressesof students who had not reported back wereverified by district officials. In the weeksleading up to the walk, staff members atChannelview High School, the Kolarik8.44.63.81.4 1.55.33.62.7Hispanic White Eco. Dis.0.82006200720082009Reach Out to Dropouts programputs students back on path to successOn the day of the Reach Out to DropoutsWalk, Channelview High School staffmembers were on hand to renroll students.Ninth Grade Center and Alice JohnsonJunior High worked to identify potentialdropouts. Officials also manned phone bankson the week before the walk encouragingstudents to return to school and graduate.On the day of the event, teams of fourto five volunteers travelled throughout thedistrict, going door-to-door to visit withstudents and their parents. Channelview HighSchool office staff helped those students whochose to re-enroll on the day of the walk.

10Noor Jarun of Baylor College of Medicine answersquestions from fi fth grade students at SchochlerElementary School.Group givespresentationto elementarystudentsAttorneys from the Houston BarAssociation and Houston area medicalprofessionals teamed up to educate fifthgraders at De Zavala and Schochlerelementary schools about the medical andlegal consequences of drug and alcoholuse through the Interprofessional DrugEducation Alliance (IDEA) Program.Harris County Assistant District AttorneyErin Craig and Noor Jarun of BaylorCollege of Medicine presented to studentsat Schochler, while Houston area physicianDr. Adrianne Powell Scruggs and attorneyApriel Powell-Martin presented to students atDe Zavala. The presented used an interactiveapproach to provide information to fifthgraders as a lead-in to Red Ribbon Week.The Houston Bar Associationand the Houston medical communityestablished the IDEA Program in 1992with a primary focus on fifth graders, toprepare them for peer pressure they mayface in middle school and beyond.Recruiters from Texas Tech Univerisity, left, were among 50 schools that participated in Channelview ISD’s CollegeNight. Students from elementary, right, to high school visited with representatives from different schools at the event.Set your goalsearly and set themhigh. That wasthe message of ChannelviewISD’s College Night held atChannelview High School.The event was not justfor high school students – aselementary and junior highprincipals encouraged theirstudents and parents to attend.Of the 300 people in attendance,many of those were non-highschool students and their parents.College NightDistrictwide event draws record attendanceRepresentatives frommore than 50 major colleges,universities, technical schoolsand branches of the militaryvisited with students andparents at the event.On the day of College Night,campuses generated excitementamong the students and facultyby encouraging them to weartheir favorite college shirts.At some schools, teachersand principals even decoratedtheir doors and hallways inMcMullan’s Jump Rope for Heart effortsraise $2,000 to go toward researchMcMullan Elementarystudents raised more than$2,000 as part of theirJump Rope for Heart campaign.The event raisedfunds for heart disease researchthrough the AmericanHeart Association.Students throughout theschool participated by donatingtheir spare changeand getting donationsfrom parents during thethree week event.college themes. The event wasnot only important for thosewho plan to attend four-yearuniversities, but for thosewho seek to enter specializedfields after graduation. Expertssaid jobs in the automotive,petrochemical and in buildingtrades require strong math andtechnology skills. In addition,those students who decideto enter military service arerequired to choose a technicalfield in which to be trained.McMullan ElementarySchool physical educationteacher Erin Cox organizedher school’s Jump Ropefor Heart campaign urgingstudents and their familiesto become “Heart Heroes.

11Volleyball makes playoffs, runners advance to region meetThe Channelview High School volleyballteam and boys and girls cross countryteam both have reasons to smile.CHS advanced to the playoffs with a 6-4record in District 22-5A. Channelview facedPasadena Memorial in the first round of theplayoffs and played a hard-fought game againstthe Lady Mavericks before falling short.The boys and girls cross country teams competedin the District 21-5A Championship meet.The top ten runners and team placing first,second or third in the varsity division automaticallyadvanced to the Region III Championship meet.As an individual, Melvin Turman finishedfourth place advancing to the Region IIIChampionship meet, and Jorge Figueroafinished eleventh; one place short of advancingto the Regional meet. The varsity boys’ teamfinished fourth place overall in the meet.The varsity girls’ team also finished fourthplace in the district meet. As an individual,Selena Sierra finished second place and AlysseCrowther finished ninth place; both advancingto the Region III Championship meet.School SnapshotsVETERANS DAY: At left, members of the Cobb Sixth Grade Campus LOTC honored localveterans from all branches of the military at a special ceremony held at the ChannelviewISD Annex. Above, McMullan Elementary students performed a musical program forveterans, parents and fellow students.HAMBLEN ELEMENTARY: Third grade students studied habitats and created projectsthat were displayed during a science fair. Showing their projects are Marcel Montgomery ,Britney Vargas and Erin Montes.RED RIBBONWEEK: TheASA NationalHigh SchoolTour broughtprofessional stuntbike riders andskateboardersto Kolarik NinthGrade Centerand ChannelviewHigh School toperform and alsospread an antidrugmessageduring RedRibbon Week.

122011 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Student Art ContestChannelview High School winners are NormaPerez (Gold Medal), Ruben Contreras (Best ofShow) and Miriam Quintero (Gold Medal).Elementary Best SculptureMiriam Hernandez-Schochler Elem.Best of Show-High SchoolRuben ContrerasChannelview High SchoolBest of Show-Junior HighArturo GomezAlice Johnson Junior HighLEFT: Alice Johnson Junior High winners wereArturo Gomez (Best of Show) and AndreaRamirez (Gold Medal). RIGHT: Elementary Bestof Show winner was Merari Perez from McMullanElementary with her teacher, Virginia Murello.Channelview Independent School District1403 Sheldon RoadChannelview, TX 77530Elementary Best of ShowMarari Perez-McMullan Elem.Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. POSTAGEPAIDChannelview, TXPERMIT NO. 027The Channelview Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, nationalorigin, sex, or disability in providing education services, activities, and programs, including vocational programs,in accordance with the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Educational Amendmentsof 1972; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitational Act of 1973, as amended. If you feel that your child hasreceived discriminatory treatment, you should first attempt to resolve the problem with the teacher involved.The following staff members have been designated to handle specific complaints and to coordinate compliancewith these requirements.Title IX Coordinator and Liaison for Homeless Children and Youths: Robert Worthy (281) 452-8010Section 504 Coordinator: Gloria Roach (281) 452-8006Phone: (281) 452-8002 | Fax: (281) 457-9073 | www.channelview.isd.esc4.net