Education and Schools

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Even though Spicewood Elementary students are many years away from tackling high school physics class, they experienced many physics and other science concepts Friday, Jan. 9, when the Kidz Science Safari visited the school.

Everything from paleontology to Bernoulli's principle was presented and engaged by children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grades who readily experimented with the concepts.

When Will Hatch founded his museum in Palestine, Texas, he didn’t account for the economic downturn. So he “put wheels under” his science museum and took it on the road.

The Kidz Science Safari is part of the Ingenuity Center at the University of Texas at Tyler.

Hatch has taken his safari to 17 states, and estimates that 75,000 children have enjoyed his science experiments.

“I like getting kids excited about science,” he said. “I want them to walk away and say, ‘Wow, I want to be a scientist when I grow up.’”

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Even veteran teachers might shudder at the thought of wrangling nine strong-willed teenage boys in a classroom. Freshman Academy teachers at Falls Career High School (FCHS), however, face that challenge every day and are starting to see in their students both academic and social progress for their efforts.

More than four months into the pilot program at FCHS, the nine freshmen in the program should be ready to transfer to MFHS for their sophomore years, caught up with their peers, said Peggy Little, FCHS principal and mind behind the Freshman Academy program.

“It’s been baby steps, but not anything I didn’t expect,” she said Wednesday, Dec. 3. “In the past, they’ve not been pushed. So failing is fine with them. Now, some of the kids are starting to turn that corner, deciding to stop the silliness and learn.”

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Sixteen Highland Lakes Elementary 5th-graders faced four merciless “Sharks” Thursday, Dec. 18, as part of the “Shark Tank Box It Championship,” one of Marble Falls Independent School District’s project-based learning initiatives. These projects are meant to enhance learning by doing.

This project was based on “Shark Tank,” an American Broadcasting Company TV show in which entrepreneurs attempt to secure investment money from a panel of businessmen.

 Beginning with 16 teams (with 38 students involved), that competition was narrowed to five finalists, who faced the panel with their creative projects.

Essentially, “we gave them a task and they had to find a solution,” said Linda Angelosante, teacher leader at Highland Lakes Elementary. Students determined which formulas to use and how to draw 3D figures, mostly using internet research.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

It took Marble Falls High School senior Marshall Jett “about 3 seconds” to figure out he was the one being surprised in class with a visit from U.S. Representative Roger Williams, District 25, on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

Williams presented Jett with a nomination to the U.S. Air Force Academy, paving the way to Colorado Springs and a career as a pilot and astronaut. No appointment (or admission) to the Academy can be made without a nomination from the president, vice president, a congressman, and for certain military affiliations, according to the Air Force Academy website.

“I was a little freaked out at first,” Jett said. “I wasn’t expecting a bunch of people to walk through the door.”

Jett said he felt “relieved, not under as much stress now.”

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

When the founder of the Helping Center in Marble Falls pulled up to Colt Elementary Monday afternoon, Dec. 15, he didn’t know he would need reinforcements.

Helping Center director Sam Pearce had to call a friend with a pickup truck.

Students, parents and staff raised enough donations for the Helping Center to fill two pickup trucks, inside and out.

“It’ll end up being around a ton and a half,” Pearce said. “This is definitely more than 3,000 pounds of food.”

Much of it was oriented toward Christmas dinner for families in need. “We had a list of about 11 Christmas foods, but we didn’t turn anything away,” said Christina DeLoach, Colt Elementary counselor and Colt Character Crew (C3) leader. “I stopped counting at 2,500 cans.”

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

When the new Marble Falls High School (MFHS) broadcast journalism and graphics teacher joined the district payroll in August, he didn’t know how much he would be in luck with one particular group of creative, hard-working seniors.

It didn’t hurt that the group was already friends before arriving in his classroom, which made it easier for them to form a creative vision for their first newscast, dubbed “The Mane.”

Episode 1 was shown to every homeroom class in the high school before Thanksgiving break.

The group took “a casual approach” toward The Mane, said audio/visual teacher Matt Turner. The A/V broadcast program falls under the Career and Technical Education (CTE) umbrella.

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Some might say the best part about baking a cake is eating it. Marble Falls Independent School District students, families and faculty reaped the rewards of hard work in the kitchen, eating students’ book-inspired masterpieces in, well, big pieces Monday evening, Nov. 17.

MFISD students participated in the 3rd annual Edible Book Fair, baking cakes inspired by their favorite books. Creations ranged from children’s books from classic authors Maurice Sendak and Dr. Seuss to juvenile fiction like Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy.

Winners were announced Monday evening.

“I proposed it as a fun thing to do after I saw it at the Texas Library Convention three years ago,” said Marble Falls High School (MFHS) librarian Joyce Smith, Monday. “The kids have an awfully good time.”

Smith added it’s “a fantastic way to promote reading.”

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Teachers strive to find creative ways to impart wisdom to their students, and mastering Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) state-mandated requirements along the way is an added bonus.

Five 4th-graders in D’Ann Ross’ “Challenge Lab” at Highland Lakes Elementary recently learned about honeybees and how to manufacture bubblegum and lip balm with wax and honey. They also learned the basics of running a business, albeit on a small scale. In short, they learned how to be American entrepreneurs.

“They were pretty cute,” Ross said, proud of the way her students talked out problems and arrived at solutions, with her oversight. “They learned how to work together and to figure out what they have to do to make a profit.”

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

“It’s not every day you get to douse your principal in ice cream toppings,” a MFES student said after the madness was over Thursday and the three Marble Falls Elementary School administrators were being hosed off on the playground.

“They’ll have ants here for a decade,” said MFES fifth-grader Savannah Harris, looking at the three piles of syrup, whipped cream, toppings and even a cherry or two.

MFES principal Michael Haley, counselor Renetta McCall and assistant principal Jennifer Lockner endured an onslaught of students, eager to get their chance to transform their administrators into walking, talking ice cream sundaes.

“I didn’t know this was in my contract,” Lockner said with a good-natured smile as giggling students swarmed around her, bottles of syrup in hand.

Her fellow administrator was equally agreeable.

“It’s too much at one time, but it’s for a great cause,” McCall said. “This is wonderful.”

By Emily Hilley-Sierzchula

Every MFISD campus participated in Red Ribbon Week, an anti-drug campaign run by the nonprofit National Family Partnership since 1985.

Highland Lakes Elementary students saw a Parade of Safety vehicles Wednesday morning, welcoming Granite Shoals police, fire department, animal control, and even Air Evac Lifeteam. Students were awed when the helicopter landed in a nearby field.

Marble Falls Middle School hosted Marble Falls Police Department officer David Amidon, who spoke to 7th and 8th graders about the dangers of illegal drugs. He injected humor into his presentation as he showed slides full of information to 7th graders. While showing a photo of a scruffy fellow making artificial marijuana, he said: “I wouldn’t trust this guy to make me a sandwich, and here he is making something for people to smoke.”