RRISD Career & Technical Education Celebrations
There are many wonderful events that RRISD CTE students are participating in. Please read below to see some of the most recent events.
Westwood High School (January 9, 2013) Westwood High School Students’ Investment Pay Off for Stock Market Game Winners $1,000 Check from Fidelity Investments Awarded to Round Rock ISD Partners in Education
Round Rock, TX January 8, 2013 – The results are in! Students in John Garza’s class at Westwood High School are being honored as the top producing high school investors in the Stock Market Game competition sponsored by Fidelity Investments and the Texas Council on Economic Education. Team members increased the value of their $100,000 online virtual investment account by over $10,400 in just 10 weeks.
On January 17, Jeff Weeks of Fidelity Investments will present a check for $1,000 on behalf of the winning team to the Round Rock ISD Partners in Education. Laura Ewing of the Texas Council on Economic Education, will present a $25 award to Alisha Joshi and Sarah Chen to recognize their efforts.
The Stock Market Game Program is a national program of the SIFMA Foundation. It is offered statewide by the Texas Council on Economic Education. It is the nation’s first and largest educational investment simulation program. It is widely used in grades 4 through 12 to teach students about investing and personal finance as they apply math, social studies, business, economics, and language skills.
Each team of students is given a hypothetical $100,000 to “invest” in stocks, bonds or mutual funds over a 10-week period in their own online trading account. They research companies and make decisions on where to invest their virtual money. Teams with the greatest increase in the value of their investments are recognized.
An independent study by Learning Point Associates found that students who participated in the Stock Market Game scored significantly higher on mathematics and financial literacy tests than their peers who did not participate. They also found that teachers who taught the Stock Market Game reported the program motivated them to better plan for their future and to engage in financial planning, research, and use of investment products and services. The Stock Market Game has been named the only program that successfully increased scores on the Jumpstart Coalition’s test of high school students’ financial literacy.
Texas Council on Econimic Education. Recently passed legislation requires that specific concepts of personal finance be taught to all Texas students. The Texas Council on Economic Education (TCEE), a 501(c)(3), has assumed a leadership role in supporting schools as they work to meet this requirement. TCEE provides professional development opportunities for teachers in the areas of economics, personal financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and investor education. The Stock Market Game™ simulation is just one example of the personal financial literacy programs that the Texas Council on Economic Education provides students across Texas.
The SIFMA Foundation is dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of the financial markets for individuals of all backgrounds. Drawing on the support and expertise of the financial industry, the SIFMA Foundation provides financial education programs and tools that strengthen economic opportunities across communities and increase individuals' access to the benefits of the global marketplace. Notable Foundation programs include The Stock Market Game, which has enabled more than 13 million students become financially literate, the InvestWrite national essay competition (www.investwrite.org), and the Capitol Hill Challenge. For more information on the SIFMA Foundation, visit www.sifma.org/foundation.
Ridgeview Middle School (December 18, 2012)
Ridgeview Middle School's Gateway to Technology class posted a video on the school website demonstrating some of their class projects. Check it out!
Westwood High School (December 12, 2012)
NCWIT Announces the Winners of the 2013 Award for Aspirations in Computing!
by NCWIT Staff
December 11, 2012
The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) and sponsor Bank of America are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2013 NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing, which recognizes high school girls for their aspirations and achievements in computing and technology.
The Award for Aspirations in Computing is part of an NCWIT talent development program that encourages young women to succeed in technology. Despite their advances in academia and the workforce, women are disproportionally underrepresented in computing fields: they hold only 25 percent of all technology occupations, earn 18 percent of all bachelor’s degrees in computing, and represent just 19 percent of all Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science test-takers. By providing young women with visibility, community, leadership opportunities, support, research experiences, scholarships, and internships, the Aspirations in Computing program encourages young women to persist in a field where women traditionally have been underrepresented.
The 35 winners were selected from more than 1,800 applications from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and overseas U.S. military bases. Each winner will receive $500 cash, a laptop computer, an engraved award for both her and her school, and mentoring opportunities with Bank of America employees. The winners will be honored with a ceremony at Bank of America’s headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, on March 9, 2013.
Bank of America sponsors the national Award for Aspirations in Computing; local affiliate awards are sponsored by Microsoft, the Motorola Solutions Foundation, and Google, with additional support from more than 300 local organizations.
“When Bank of America began sponsoring this award in 2008, we had fewer than 200 applicants; this year we had more than 1,800," said Debbie Guild, Bank of America Enterprise Chief Technology Office Global Desktop and Electronic Communications executive, and executive sponsor for the company's Women in Technology and Operations diversity group. "This amazing growth represents the future of technology - a future where women are fully represented on the teams creating technical solutions for our clients. This representation will ensure we have diverse solutions for diverse consumers."
Since 2007, the Award for Aspirations in Computing has recognized more than 1,300 young women; 88 percent of Award recipients currently in college report majoring or minoring in a science or technology field. Aspirations Award-winners have visited the White House, worked for Disney Research, been selected as Windows 8 testers, studied the impact of One Laptop Per Child, been invited to speak at LEGO headquarters in Denmark, built robotic prosthetics in a university lab, interned at top tech companies, won other computing and STEM accolades and scholarships, and more.
“Research tells us that girls often lose interest in math and science at the grade-school level, and that encouragement and support can have a huge impact on their career decisions,” said Lucy Sanders, CEO and co-founder of NCWIT. “We hope that by announcing the winners during Computer Science Education Week, we’ll inspire others to recognize the importance of diversity in building a strong and innovative technical workforce.”
Following are the 2013 national winners of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing:
Aneesha Kommineni, Austin, Texas, Westwood High School
For more information about the Aspirations in Computing program please visit www.aspirationsaward.org or the NCWIT press page.
Cedar Ridge High School (December 12, 2012)
The National Science Foundation has offered a grant for a research course devoted to the study of stem cell research similar to the Harvard Study. The Harvard Study developed a method that reverses skin cells into stems cells eliminating the need for fetal or embryonic stem cells for regenerative growth. Twelve students from the Central Texas area were selected to participate in this study. Out of the many applicants seven students from Cedar Ridge's Advanced Biotechnology class were selected to move to round two of the decision making process. Three of the seven have made it through the final selection process and will participate in the Research Grant beginning this March and ending in May. The other four were selected to work in a program this summer with further funding from NSF. The course, taught by Joseph Oleniczak, is an excellent opportunity to further their individual careers and ready them for advancement in Stem Cell Research. What a fantastic glimpse into the medical future for these students!
The three students are: Phoebe Atkinson, Ashley Gomez, Samantha Wasson.
Round Rock High School (December 12, 2012)
RRHS challenged Cedar Ridge HS to a Law Academy challenge at the ROTC Range. The winners are listed below:
- 9th Grade Cedar Ridge
- 10th Grade James Pelath, RRHS
- 11th Grade Sky McWilliams, RRHS
- 12th Grade Cedar Ridge
- Overall winner was Joe Bridendolph, RRHS
Congrats to all competitors!
McNeil High School (December 12, 2012)
The test results for McNeil HOSA are pretty impressive, please join RRISD in congratulating these students:
The following students advance straight to state competition in April:
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Healthcare Issues Exam (top 10% advance to state): Danny Lin
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Medical Law and Ethics Exam:
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1st: Saheel Chodavadia
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2nd: Vivianna Wu
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Medical Math: 2nd place Barun Das (sidenote: 54 students took this exam and the top 3 places were earned by RRISD students!)
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Pharmacology:
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2nd: Hunter Montgomery
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3rd: Livia Rezende
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Medical Reading:
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2nd: Zoe Punske
The following students advance to Area Competition in January:
Biomedical Debate Team: Nahiyan Khandker, Mustafa Monk, Daniel Olander, Jack Swink (scored 2nd)
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Biotechnology: Nick Ge
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Creative Problem Solving Team:
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Team #1: Atyam Manasa, Charmi Patel, Nikki Tra, Brittany van der Woude
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Team #2: Farrukh Botrizoda, Lauren Boyles, Toby Caro, Young Shin
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Forensic Medicine:
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Team #1: Chetin Dhir, Danny Lin
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Team #2: Hannah Fang, Olivia Li
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Home Health Aide: Morgan Brock (scored 1st) and Kemi Adetutu
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Medical Spelling: Eileen Euperio and Jennifer Hoang
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Nursing Assisting: Marielle Catolos
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Physical Therapy: Jamie Choe (scored 1st)
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Sports Medicine: Pavan Malani and Amber Vo
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Veterinary Science: Ciera Lanier
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Office Candidate: Meghan Romere
1st Runner-Up:
Honorable Mention:
A special thank you to Lisa Windolph and Dave Effland, who graciously proctored these exams for us!
Westwood High School (Novebmer 13, 2012)
Below is information from Kevin Mundt about the WWHS Robotics Club.
The Robotics club had the BEST state level competition over the weekend, in Dallas. The team performed extremely well. The team was awarded 4thplace in the overall competition. This includes all aspects of the competition and is not just the scoring of the robot. They scored well and met the highest scores in a single round. The engineering notebook is college level work. The display booth, and team spirit were great. Our booth had a line of folks queued up most of the time to play with the interactive stomp rocket and the kids got a live stream of the competition projected onto the roof of the tent.
I did a little research into how many teams fed into the competition. It looks like there are about 547 teams that fed into the Dallas competition. We were competing against sixty schools that made it to state championship level.
Cedar Ridge High School (October 31, 2012)
Romina Leon placed 3rd overall in the Regional Cupcake Battle. She will now go to Dallas Art Institute Culinary Academy for the State Bake Off.
McNeil & Stony Point High Schools (October 30, 2012)
Sunday October 28th, the Round Rock ISD Livestock Show was held at the Round Rock Farm Facility. This included McNeil FFA, Stony Point FFA, Stony Point Jr FFA, and Round Rock 4H. Bellow are the results of the show:
Grand Champion Pig: Brandon Guinn- McNeil FFA
Reserve Grand Champion Pig: Zechariah Heimann- Stony Point Jr FFA
Grand Champion Pig Showmanship: Mikala Bonner- McNeil FFA
Reserve Grand Champion Pig Showmanship: Reagan Vanzura- McNeil FFA
Grand Champion Goat: Jana Kiefer- McNeil FFA
Reserve Grand Champion Goat: Alyssa Johnston- McNeil FFA
Grand Champion Goat Showmanship: Alyssa Johnston- McNeil FFA
Reserve Grand Champion Goat Showmanship: Emily Kaderka- McNeil FFA
Grand Champion Lamb: Zach Eason- McNeil FFA
Reserve Grand Champion Lamb: Jenny Bean- McNeil FFA
Grand Champion Lamb Showmanship: Aimee Dixon- Stony Point FFA
Reserve Grand Champion Lamb Showmanship: Hannah Hardwick- McNeil FFA
Grand Champion Steer: Zachary Drozd- McNeil FFA
Reserve Grand Champion: Jenny Bean- McNeil FFA
Grand Champion Steer Showmanship: Rachelle Yepez- Round Rock 4H
Reserve Grand Champion Showmanship: Jenny Bean- McNeil FFA
Westwood High School (September 14, 2012)
Last summer Westwood HS student Blake Kostroun, Grade 12, begin serving as an artist's apprentice under the direction of professional artist Warren Cullar. Blake's tasks have included preparing for gallery shows, prepping art materials, learning the business side, and photoshop work to help with marketing. When asked which courses at Westwood HS helped with the skills to succeed in this opportunity, Blake named CTE courses Digital & Interactive Media, Graphic Design, and Animation and several fine arts courses such as art foundations and ceramics I, II, and III. While the CTE courses gave him the technical skills, the visual arts helped him with composition, color, and balance. Mr. Cullar enjoys mentoring young artists and is now working with Westwood's CTE Academy Specialist, Lucy Sanchez, to plan a Saturday workshop for 10 lucky students in October. Blake also serves with other Jr/Sr students at Westwood HS as an Academy Ambassador to provide outreach on the many academy programs' benefits and opportunities available at Westwood HS.