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From the National Youth Theatre Awards web site (for direct link to article select this link).
National Youth Theatre is excited to announce the winners of our Third Annual National Youth Theatre Awards to honor outstanding work in youth theatre. This year more than double the shows from last year were considered for the awards, including more than 170 productions from more than 90 different theatres in more than 60 cities spanning 23 states.
The award winners were selected from nominations by a panel of ten judges and reviewers. In addition to the youth who performed in the youth theatre companies, any minor (under age 18) who performed at a show reviewed by a National Youth Theatre judge was also considered for the awards, as well as the adults who participated in the youth theatre productions backstage (directors, set designers, costume designers, etc.). Thank you all for your incredible work and all the unforgettable entertainment over the past year!
The winners will be formally presented with their awards at a ceremony honoring their accomplishments in different regions of the country including two ceremonies in California, one in Phoenix for the Western half of the country excluding California, one for the Northeast (CT, NY, MA, and PA), and another for the rest of the Eastern half of the country.
Award winners are listed below by the area of the country in which they performed. If you can't make it to your ceremony, you might be able to attend one of the other ceremonies if you wish. Please RSVP using the link below. We hope you can join us
Western Region
Herberger Theatre Center
Sunday, August 17 @ 7:30 p.m.
222 E. Monroe
Phoenix, AZ 85004
HISD's HSPVA the only school in the country to do so
May 2, 2008 - Two students from HISD's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) have just been named Presidential Scholars for 2008. Jamye M. Grant and Grantham H. Coleman are both 17-year-old seniors and are both theatre students.
Of the three million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 3,000 candidates qualified as potential Presidential Scholars on the basis of outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams, or by nomination through the nationwide youngARTS™ competition conducted by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Only 139 students were named Presidential Scholars, 20 of those from fine arts schools.
Only five students from Texas were named Presidential Scholars. In addition to the two students from HSPVA, there were two students from two private schools in Dallas and a student from a public school in Austin.
Principal Herb Karpicke said, "Recently we were honored for the fifth time as a GRAMMY Signature School and now this. HSPVA is the only school in the country that can boast TWO Presidential Scholars this year and over the history of the program HSPVA has had more Presidential Scholars in the performing and visual arts than any other high school in the nation. I am extremely proud of these students and of the national accolades our school continues to receive. It speaks volumes about the quality of our staff, our programs and our students."
The Presidential Scholars will be honored for their accomplishments in Washington D.C., from June 21-24. In addition, each Presidential Scholar will be allowed to select his or her most inspiring and challenging teacher to travel to Washington, D.C., to receive a Teacher Recognition Award from the U.S. Department of Education and to participate in the recognition events.
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, who is herself a product of HISD schools, said "The 2008 Presidential Scholars shine a bright hope on the future of our country. Not only have these young graduates demonstrated exemplary discipline and achievement in academics and the arts, but they have also exhibited exceptional leadership and service to their local communities. Their commitment to excellence and contributions to society reflect the character and innovation necessary to keep America both competitive economically and collaborative in overcoming challenges within our global community."
The Presidential Scholars program was created in 1964 to honor academic achievement and was expanded in 1979 to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the arts. The program has honored more than 5,000 of the nation's top students over its history. The 139 Presidential Scholars for 2008 include one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and students from families of U.S. citizens living abroad. This also includes 15 chosen at-large and 20 Presidential Scholars in the Arts. A 29-member Commission on Presidential Scholars appointed by President Bush selected the scholars based on their academic success, artistic excellence, community service, leadership and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.
(For more information, please contact the HISD Press Office)
More than 20,000 schools were considered, but only 14 were chosen as GRAMMY Signature Schools for 2008 - and the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts is one of them.
This is the fifth such honor the GRAMMY Foundation has bestowed upon HSPVA (4001 Stanford, 77006).
"For the past 10 years, the GRAMMY Signature Schools program has recognized and rewarded excellence in music education at U.S. public high schools," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy® and President of the GRAMMY Foundation. "These schools maintain high quality music programs that foster and demonstrate the significant role music can play in the lives of their students."
Each of the 14 GRAMMY Signature Schools will receive a custom award and a monetary grant to benefit the school's music program. The recipients are determined by a panel of top music educators and professionals. The selection process begins each year in September when the GRAMMY Foundation mails notification to more than 20,000 public high schools requesting information about each school's music program.
Applications are completed and submitted online in October. After the applications are scored, finalists are identified and asked to submit additional documentation, such as recordings of school concerts, sample concert programs, and repertoire, which is then reviewed by an independent screening committee to determine which schools merit Signature School status.
"The first time we were recognized by the GRAMMY Foundation it was an extreme honor," said HSPVA Principal Herbert Karpicke, "but to repeat four more times speaks to the enduring quality of our music programs, the consistent hard work of our students, the unwavering dedication of the HSPVA staff and the continuing support of HISD's administration and Board of Education."
"This GRAMMY award recognizes the quality and quantity of our music offerings," added HSPVA Music Department Coordinator Pat Bonner. "I am so proud of our music faculty, students, and parents who are committed to maintaining such a high level of achievement."
(For more information, please contact the HISD Press Office)
"CHIP provides low-cost health coverage to uninsured children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private coverage. A family of four can earn up to 200 percent of the federal level - $41,300 a year for a family of four in 2007 - and qualify. Families will pay no more than $50 a year to insure all their children. CHIP and Medicaid cover regular check-ups and immunizations, hospitalization, surgery, x-rays, prescription drugs, dental, vision and mental health services. "
"On Saturday, February 23 from 10:00am to 3:00pm, the Children's Defense Fund of Texas will hold a children's health insurance program enrollment drive at 21 participating H-E-B stores. Trained volunteers will be on hand to assist families in applying for CHIP and Medicaid. To apply for coverage at local enrollment centers, parents need to bring copies of proof of household income. Accepted forms of documentation include: one recent pay stub; last year's W-2 tax form; or a letter from the employer verifying cash income. Parents should also bring copies of children's birth certificates and children's social security numbers. "
"Families can also apply for CHIP or Medicaid by calling toll-free 1-877-KIDS-NOW or downloading an application from the internet at www.chipmedicaid.org."
"The 2007 Texas Legislature made important strides in restoring the Children's Health Insurance Program, including allowing families on CHIP to apply for coverage every 12 months instead of twice a year. It is now critical to let families know that CHIP is back on track. "
"Please join me in signing up Texas children for the health coverage that they need and deserve through CHIP and Children's Medicaid. For more information on upcoming outreach activities, call the Children's Defense Fund of Texas at 713.664.4080 or www.cdftexas.org."
Sincerely,
Rodney Ellis
Texas State Senate, District 13
Contrary to the currently available HISD Magnet application, HSPVA does not have a report card grade requirement for students to be scheduled for an audition. - Updated Application 2008-09-Magnet-Application.pdf
November 28, 2007
Texas Monthly's fourth annual list of the Best Public Schools in Texas, which was released in the December 2007 issue of the magazine, includes 28 HISD schools.
The magazine's partner in the annual effort is the National Center for Educational Accountability (formerly Just for the Kids) which analyzed student test results for the past three years to rank Texas public schools. Out of 7,956 public schools in the state of Texas, 859 were named the best in Texas. According to the Texas Monthly article, "Students at the elementary schools that are included performed better, across all grades, on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test than did their counterparts at other schools around the state. Middle schools and high schools made the list because their students' improvement on the TAKS test was higher than predicted by their previous test scores."
The 15 HISD elementary schools that made the list are Barbara Bush, James Berry, Luther Burbank, Manuel Crespo, John Durkee, Virgil Grissom, J. P. Henderson, Jennie Kolter, E. A. "Squatty" Lyons, James Oates, Piney Point, River Oaks, Oran Roberts, West University and Ed White. The eight middle schools on the list are the Energized for Excellence Academy, Henry Grady, Kaleidoscope, Sidney Lanier, Project Chrysalis, The Rice School, T.H. Rogers, and West Briar. The five high schools on the list are Bellaire, Andrew Carnegie Vanguard, Challenge Early College, Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions, and The High School for Performing and Visual Arts.
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