Teachers of the Year Announced

The Irving ISD Teachers of the Year for 2008-2009 were announced at the Board of Trustees meeting Monday. Honorees will be formally recognized at a reception and board meeting September 15 at Nimitz High School. Melissa Kinkeade, reading recovery and literacy teacher at Townsell Elementary School, is the IISD Elementary Teacher of the Year. Sharon Gross, choral director at Irving High School, is the IISD Secondary Teacher of the Year.

Trustees also recognized Campus Teachers of the Year.

High school honorees are:

Middle school honorees are:

Elementary honorees are:

Early childhood school honorees are:

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Students Spend Summer Advancing Skills

During the summer months, many Irving students engaged in activities to support the lessons they had learned during the school year.

June 9-12, 22 students from the Irving Children’s Chorus (ICC) traveled to Branson, Missouri. Linda Hoffmann, music teacher at Stipes Elementary School and ICC Director, and Cathy Gribnitz, Nimitz Cluster choir accompanist and ICC accompanist, led the children’s choir in preshow performances for the Haygood Family Show at the Music City Centre theater.

Students from Stipes Elementary School also built upon lessons they had learned about community service in an autism walk June 14. Students Taking Adventures into the Real world team members traveled to the Ballpark in Arlington in support of the event benefitting autism research. Students, staff and faculty, and family members raised approximately $835 for the charity.

On August 10, IISD students joined fellow student artists from Arlington, Carrollton-Farmers Branch, and Coppell in the Transportation Art Contest held at the Irving Arts Center. The exhibition celebrated the Eleventh Annual Transportation Summit held in Irving, and students were challenged with the theme “Transportation in Texas: Today & Tomorrow”. Awards were presented for first, second and third places in three age groups. In the age 6-9 category, Elida Cadena from Lee Elementary School won first place; Amara Bugayong Jones from Thomas Haley Elementary School won second, and Clara Limberg from Brandenburg Elementary School won third. In the age 10-13 category, Alex Hamilton from Townley Elementary School won second place. In the age 14-17 category, Tom Knipp from MacArthur High School won second place, and Jared Wright from The Academy of Irving ISD won third. Student work will be on display through September 7 in the Dupree Theater Lobby at Irving Arts Center.

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Teachers Excel in Studies

Two IISD teachers were recognized during the summer for their accomplishments and leadership within their respective fields of study.

Kenneth Austin, social studies teacher and department chair at The Academy of Irving ISD, participated in two workshops sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Austin traveled to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and Hyde Park in New York for workshops focused on key factors related to World War II. He competed against more than 300 applicants for the opportunity to attend the workshops.

From MacArthur High School, Traci Benesh was announced as a finalist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area Tech Titans Awards Program. Benesh is an anatomy & biology teacher at MacArthur and was nominated for the award through an open process published in the Dallas Business Journal. In the nomination for Tech Titan of the Future – High School Level, Benesh joins three of her colleagues from school districts in the metroplex. The Tech Titans Awards is sponsored by the Metroplex Technology Business Council, Deloitte, and Dallas Business Journal. The program was implemented to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the technology industry, and winners will be announced at an awards gala September 26.

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Night School Registration

The Irving ISD Night School Program serves students in grades 8–12. Courses will be held at Union Bower Center for Learning (UBCL) and students may take a maximum of one credit. Courses are offered based on student enrollment and the availability of qualified instructors. Registration will be held September 3 from 4:30-6 p.m. at UBCL, located at 101 E. Union Bower. For more information, access www.irvingisd.net/nightschool.

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