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Archive | Blalack

Summer Fun Includes Learning With Exploration Academy and Sage

School’s Out for Summer! (Almost!)

While the 2018-2019 school year has come to a close, the learning continues at CFB with Exploration Academy and SAGE. Students identified as Gifted and Talented have the option to attend SAGE at Blalack Middle School during the summer. Students attending Exploration Academy at Blalack this summer have the option to take two enrichment classes in their areas of interest. Students from across the district are making new friends in these classes. Some are honing a skill, while some are learning some things entirely new to them.

Exploration Academy and SAGE – Options for All Interests

Classes range from competitive board games to cooking, and from dance to coding. Students are making artwork, learning to dance, playing chess, coding games, programming robots, and learning American Sign Language as they expand their horizons.

See more photos from this event in our Flickr Gallery.

Summer Fun Includes Learning With Exploration Academy and Sage

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Destination Imagination Team Takes First Place at Global Finals

The Caarbadarbons is a Destination Imagination Team composed of students from Polk and Blalack Middle Schools. Destination Imagination (DI) is a global educational nonprofit whose goal is to inspire the next generation of innovators, leaders, and creative problem solvers. The team has been competing in DI since attending Country Place Elementary. Global Finals is the culminating event of every DI season. Students work together in teams to create a solution to one of six competitive challenges, Technical, Scientific, Fine Arts, Improvisational, Engineering, and Service Learning.

On May 25, the Caarbadarbons won first place in the Heads up Improvisational category for Middle School.

The Winning Destination Imagination Team: The Caarbadarbons

Scotty Brady
Olivia Brewer
Jaclyn Decherd
Livy Ker
Quentin Maese
Reid Sherman

Tough, International Competition

Throughout the year, DI teams globally compete at local levels. Teams that advance past Regional and Affiliate (state/country) Tournaments are invited to participate in Global Finals. Nearly 1,200 DI teams from 38 states and 17 countries showcased their creative solutions to the 2019 Team Challenges. Over 17,000 people were in attendance at the event held in Kansas City, MO.

Destination Imagination Team Takes First Place at Globals

See more amazing CFB champions on our Wall of Honor

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CFB Hosts First Annual District Talent Show

In January, the CFBISD Educational Foundation had an open call for auditions for CFB students in grades 6-12 for the first-ever district talent show called CFB’s Got Talent. Auditions were held at 3 CFB high schools, and out of 33 entries, 12 acts were chosen to perform at the live show on May 3. Acts in the final show included dance, piano, singing, guitar playing, juggling skills, and Chinese yo-yo.

Panel of judges

Farmers Branch Mayor, Robert Dye, and WNBA Dallas Wings Manager of Social Responsibility, Antoinette Iroko – both CFB alums – were judges for the show. Joining them in the judges panel was Firehouse Theatre Director, David Moore.

Winners

The 3rd place winner is Perry Middle School student Madeleine Birmingham, for her dance entry. Newman Smith High School student Katie Hasty is the runner-up for her soccer juggling skills. The 2019 CFB’s Got Talent Champion is Blalack Middle School student, Danya Pleasant for her singing.

Prizes

Second and 3rd place winners each took home gift cards, a Google Home Mini, and 3 tickets to a show at the Firehouse Theatre. The 1st place winner took home these same prizes in addition to a $500 Impact Now! grant to help them continue in their art.

View more photos from this event in our Flickr Gallery.

CFB Hosts First Annual District Talent Show

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Blalack Singers Selected for All-State Choir

Three students from Blalack Middle School have been selected to be a part of the Texas Choral Directors Association Middle School All-State Choir. Graeme McRae, Emma Saleh, and Hanson Hays were selected from hundreds of auditioners across the state of Texas. The trio will travel to San Antonio in July to work renowned Choral director, Tom T. Shelton, Jr. They will present a concert for thousands of music teachers at the TCDA Convention.

Blalack Choir Director, Sarah Bayles stated, “This is a huge honor and we are so proud of these three incredible students!”

Blalack students named to All-State Choir

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Polk’s 2019 Destination Imagination Team State Bound

CFB’s 2019 Destination Imagination Teams Compete Regionally

The Ted Polk Middle School 2019 Destination Imagination team competed at the Regional DI Tournament at Marcus High School on Feb. 23. The teams worked hard using their creative problem-solving skills to solve STEM based challenges. Polk’s DI team moves to the State Tournament on Mar. 23. Twenty other CFBISD DI teams also competed, placing in several categories.

DI Elementary Team Results

Country Place Elementary – Monster Effects, 3rd place
Farmers Branch Elementary – Heads Up, 4th place
La Villita  Elementary – Monster Effects, 7th place
Las Colinas Elementary – On Target, 10th place
Rosemeade Elementary – Escape Artist, (3 teams) 5th , 9th, and 12th place
Sheffield/Furneaux Elementary – Monster Effects, 5th place
Stark Elementary – Escape Artist, 9th place

DI Middle School Team Results

Blalack Middle School  – Medical Mystery, 3rd place
Bush Middle School – Monster Effects, 4th place
Field Middle School – Heads Up, 3rd place
Polk Middle School – Heads Up, 1st place

DI High School Team Results

Turner High School  – eXtreme, 4th place

Polk's 2019 Destination Imagination Team State Bound

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Parent Engagement Event – Mastering Middle School

Parent Engagement Event - Mastering Middle SchoolOn Tuesday, Feb. 5, Barbara Bush Middle School will host “Mastering Middle School,” a parent engagement event. The purpose of the event is to give families throughout the district tips and tools to support their teens.

Attendance is free, but you must register to attend

Parents may register online.

There will be a light dinner provided and free childcare for children 4 and older.

Topics that will be covered

  • Mastering middle school
  • college readiness
  • habits for success
  • parenting teens
  • effective technology use

Location

Barbara Bush Middle School
515 Cowboys Parkway
Irving, TX 75063

Date & Time

Tuesday
Feb. 5, 2019
6 – 7:30 PM

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Middle Schoolers Compete in STEM Challenge

Middle Schoolers Compete in STEM ChallengeCFB middle schoolers competed in a Makerspace Team Challenge. The event, a first for the district, was sponsored by a generous donation by LBJ Express. Teams from all 6 CFB middle schools competed in a 30 minute challenge in which they were given a very complex problem to solve. Skills such as math, individual learning, group learning, and leadership were in play as students sought solutions.

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District Winners of Elks Hoop Shoot Advance

District Winners of Elks Hoop Shoot AdvanceEach year, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks holds a national free-throw program for youth, ages 8-13. The event, dubbed “The Elks National Hoop Shoot,” is a 46-year-old tradition of developing and reinforcing grit. Twelve students from CFB have won at the district level and will advance to compete against champions from other local districts on Jan. 19 at R. L. Turner High School. Over 3,000 students have participated leading up to this event.

District Hoop Shoot Winners

Boys 12 -13

1st – Michael Ledesman – Blalack
2nd – Kevin Giron – Vivian Field

Girls 12 – 13

1st – Jalissa Donaldson – Vivian Field
2nd – Andrea Pruneda – Vivian Field

Boys 10 – 11

1st – Tezahan Francois – Landry
2nd – Drake Wasemiller – Rainwater

Girls 10 – 11

1st – Gabriella Furlong – Furneaux
2nd – Casey Brady – Country Place

Boys 8 – 9

1st – Max Lee – Country Place
2nd – Cameron Collier – Furneaux

Girls 8 – 9

1st – Ariana Anglin – Country Place
2nd – Randi Broughton – Landry

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Educational Foundation Awards Grants to Two CFB Teachers

Established in 1997, the CFBISD Educational Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports CFBISD campuses, teachers, and students with dollars not otherwise available through State and Federal funding. The Foundation has awarded grants to two CFB teachers.

McCoy Elementary teacher, Nicole Bonilla, was awarded 2 grants for her project to get secondary materials and tools for students with autism and social and attention differences. She was awarded $1000 from the Kacie Brekhus Memorial Teacher Grant, and $1000 from the Frank Shor Impact Now! Fund. The Kacie Brekhus Memorial Grant is awarded each year to a CFB teacher who has a vision and plan to best support education opportunities for their students. Kacie Brekhus was a CFB Student from K-12th.  Kacie tragically passed away in automobile accident in her Freshman year at the University of Texas. There is a race held every year in her honor, which supports the CFBISD Special Olympics team. The 2019 race will be held on March 2.

The Frank Shor Impact Now! Fund is to provide financial/program assistance to students/program through the Impact Now! program.  To be eligible for consideration students must display promise and need in one of the following Impact areas:  Fine Arts, Science & Technology, Athletics, Workforce Readiness, Leadership Development, Special Education, and Student Support.   These funds are intended to improve supported students educational opportunities.

Blalack Middle School theatre teacher, Margaret Marrs, was awarded $1000 through the Valwood Improvement Authority Teacher Grant Fund. This grant is a general teacher grant fund open to all CFB teachers. The award is given for innovative programs that enrich students’ educational path. Ms. Marrs will be using the funds for the theatre’s “Harry Potter and the Theatre Design Project,” in which students will collaborate and create theatrical designs based on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child book/script for an area of technical theatre which includes scenery, costumes, and publicity.

Educational Foundation Awards Grants to Two CFB Teachers

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TV Network YTN Covers Korean Class at Blalack

TV Network YTN Covers Korean Class at BlalackOn Oct. 25, a reporter from YTN, a 24-hour news channel from Korea, visited Ms. Seo Yoon’s Korean language class at Blalack Middle School. The reporter recorded footage of activities in the class, including language instruction and information about Korean culture and dress. At the close of class, some students and the teacher were interviewed on camera. Students expressed their interest in the language came about for different reasons. One student expressed a desire to live in Seoul, South Korea and to be an English teacher there when she graduates from college. Another student expressed her interest in K-pop music, and a desire to understand the lyrics.

View more photos and behind-the-scenes video from this event in our Flickr gallery.

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