Education and Schools

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

It’s not every day teenagers design a rocket designed to sail through the atmosphere at more than twice the speed of sound. Nor is it commonplace for high school students to have their work critiqued by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) engineers.

Marble Falls High School (MFHS) aerospace engineering students are working with the “best of the best” in aeronautics to build a high-altitude test rocket as part of a NASA moon rock project.

Students have been committed to the project since October, 2014, when the planning phase began.

“They’re taking on a big project that requires a lot of time and energy,” said Randy Guffey, MFHS aerospace engineering teacher. Most of his students are seniors who will put high school in the rear view mirror next month, except for their rocket project that will keep them committed for the summer season. “They’re giving up part of their summer to work on it,” Guffey said.

Blood is an eternal requirement for life, which means giving blood is also a necessity.

Falls Career High School students have scheduled their spring blood drive for Monday, April 20, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., in the parking lot across from the Marble Falls Independent School District administration building, one block behind Super Taco.

“Look for the easy to spot multi-colored Bloodmobile,” said FCHS teacher, Mike Saenz. “Our last ‘Spring Blood Drive’ was canceled due to winter weather, so we managed to pick a more spring-like date. The flowers are blooming, but there are still Central Texans in need of blood. It’s a great time to save a life.”

MFISD teams up with the Blood Center of Central Texas to have the blood drive each year.

“The Highland Lakes and MFISD community has been an integral part of our blood drives’ success,” Saenz said. “Each year we have far more donations than we have students enrolled.”

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

The emotional and psychological benefits of art are well-known and people with special needs, in particular, benefit greatly from creative projects. 

The “Adults with Abilities” class at ArtFrog Art Academy in Marble Falls is for any adult with special needs. It’s the second year for the class and the reception that marks the grand finale.

“We call it ‘Adults with Abilities’ because all have abilities,” said Jennifer Virdell, special education teacher and Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD) Transitions +18 program coordinator, Tuesday, March 24. 

Four Transitions +18 students from have been participating in the weekly classes. 

Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD) has an online survey open to gather community feedback to use in district planning.

“As the District prepares for its future, it’s important to understand the needs and opinions of our parents,” said Eric Penrod, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. “Please take a few minutes to provide your feedback by completing the MFISD Community Survey.”

The survey is divided into two parts. In the first part, the district is interested in learning more about parents’ thoughts, feelings and attitudes toward their child's school. It’s an opportunity to provide insight that can help in strategic planning.

“MFISD wants to listen to where we are hitting the mark and where we are falling short,” Penrod explained. “When answering the questions, consider your child's current experience at school.”

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

A group of Colt Elementary fifth-graders experienced the inner workings of the legal process by participating in a mock trial at Marble Falls’ Teen Court Monday evening, Feb. 9. Twelve Colt Character Crew (C3) students visited the court, which is held in the city council chambers once a month.

“They all got to use the judge’s gavel, which was fun,” said Colt Elementary counselor Christina DeLoach, who started the C3 program in 2013.

C3 students, called Master Leaders, do community service projects and leadership development exercises.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Dane Lackey, junior defense attorney. It gave me a better idea of the law and how bad stuff can get.” Lackey, already well-spoken with a confident air, said he wants to be a lawyer when he grows up.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Marble Falls High School student engineers are getting ready to head to San Antonio Saturday, Jan. 31, for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge (FTC) regional qualifying tournament for the Alamo Region.

If they do well against the other 50 teams in the tournament, Team 4769 would advance to a league championship contest next.

Senior Tyler Taber said he’s excited about going to the event. “Getting to hang out with engineers and play with robots, it’s pretty neat,” he said Wednesday, Jan. 28. “It’s a good way to spend a Saturday.”

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

The Marble Falls Independent School District (MFISD) Board of Trustees agreed during its meeting Monday, Jan. 19, meeting to refinance old bonds in order to take advantage of almost “rock-bottom” interest rates, according to board discussions with the accountant managing the district’s bonds.

Bond refinancing

After a presentation by Brian Grubbs, of SAMCO Capital Markets, Inc., the board voted unanimously to refinance $9 million of Series 2007A district bonds from a 4-5 percent interest rate to a lower rate of up to 3.78 percent.

“It’s a no-brainer,” said board president Rick Edwards, adding he would make the same decision if it were his own money.

The Bond Buyers Index of Municipal Bonds shows an interest rate this week of 3.42 percent.