Rutledge Named National Merit Scholar

Sarah-Naomi Rutledge, senior at MacArthur High School, has been awarded a $2,500 scholarship through the 2007 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Rutledge, who was named a National Merit finalist earlier in the spring, is among 2,500 distinguished high school seniors who won scholarships, earning the designation of National Merit scholar. They were chosen from a talent pool of 15,000 finalists in the program.

By the conclusion of the 2007 program in June, about 8,200 finalists will earn the National Merit Scholar title and receive a total of more than $34 million in college scholarships.

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Employee Service Awards Thursday

Irving ISD will honor 266 employees for their service to the district during the annual Employee Service Awards at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Travis Middle School cafeteria.

The event honors employees who have 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service with IISD. Dr. Neil Dugger, assistant superintendent for personnel and administration, will serve as master of ceremonies. Superintendent Jack Singley will present the awards.

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Early Voting Continues for Election

Early voting by personal appearance began Monday and will continue through May 8 for the May 12 Irving Trustee election. Ballots for early voting may be cast at Irving City Hall, Irving Arts Center, and Dallas County Records Office.

Early voting takes place this week through Saturday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday from 1-6 p.m., and Monday and Tuesday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

A list of polling places for voting on May 12 is available on the IISD website at:

www.irvingisd.net/ppage/election_information.htm

Candidate interviews can be viewed on the website and on Irving Schools Television (ISTV) via Time Warner Cable Channel 98 and Verizon FiOS Channel 33 through May 11. They are broadcast daily at 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

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Irving High Teacher Publishes Book

Vanessa Vega, English teacher at Irving High School, has published a book entitled Comes the Darkness, Comes the Light. It is described as “an unflinching memoir of a young woman who traveled too far into the darkness…and her courageous journey back.”

In addition, Vega will be hosting a writing workshop at 2 p.m. May 5 at Irving Public Library. For more information on the book, visit www.vanessa-vega.com.

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Athletes of the Month

The Irving ISD Athletes of the Month for May are Blake Beavan of Irving High School and Jamie Hull of Nimitz High School.

Blake Beavan

Jamie Hull

Beavan, a senior, plays on the baseball team and is one of the top pitching prospects in the nation. He has played on the Junior Olympic team for the past two years and was selected as U.S. Youth Player of Year in 2006. His record this season is 8-2 with 124 strikeouts, including a perfect game.

Hull, also a senior, pitches for the softball team. This year, she has led the Lady Vikes to a 23-5 record and is among the area leaders in victories, strikeouts, earned run average and batting average. Hull is also in top 10 percent of her senior class.

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SITE Appreciation Reception Held

The SITE (Student Internship Training Experience) program at The Academy of Irving ISD hosted an employee appreciation reception April 24. The event was held to recognize and thank all business and organizations that hired one or more Academy senior interns to work at their place of business.

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Reminder: Job Fair is Saturday at Academy

Irving ISD will hold a Teacher Job Fair from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday at The Academy of Irving ISD. Applicants should bring copies of their résumé, current college transcripts, and teaching certificate or college letter of anticipated completion.

Principals will be present to conduct interviews for the 2007-2008 school year. Representatives from various alternative education programs also will be present. In addition, an alternative education seminar will be held.

No preregistration is required. Applicants may submit an electronic application at http://www.irvingisd.net/hr.htm.

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School Nurse Day Set for May 9

Irving ISD school nurses will be recognized for their support of education during School Nurse Day set for May 9. Governor Rick Perry signed a proclamation designating May 9 as School Nurse Day in the state of Texas.

In addition to duties commonly associated with their profession, school nurses provide classroom instruction on various healthcare issues such as nutrition, growth and development, physical activity, and personal hygiene.

 “If you would like to join IISD in recognizing the contributions of school nurses, please contact the nurse at your local school and thank her for being there for the children,” said Mary Kay Hartley, director of health service.

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Blood Drive Scheduled for Farine Teacher

Farine Elementary School will host a blood drive from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, May 18 to benefit fifth grade teacher Brad Williams, who is undergoing treatment for a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

Anyone interested in donating blood can contact Farine at 972-261-2700 to schedule a time. Slots will be available every 15 minutes. Williams has created a daily blog – www.bradvscancer.blogspot.com – to chart his progress in fighting the disease.

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Accenture Supports Elliott During JA Day

About 100 representatives from Accenture provided business-related lessons to Elliott Elementary School students April 27 during its Junior Achievement Day. The age-appropriate JA curricula focused on economic development, career opportunities, business operations, and the economic role of individuals.

 
Representatives from Accenture assisted
Elliott students during JA Day.

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Travis Orchestra Students Rate Well

Thirty-one orchestra students at Travis Middle School received Superior ratings at a recent solo and ensemble contest. Students from Travis receiving Superior in Solo and Ensemble contest: