SBEF Awards Scholarships to WAIS Graduates

Earlier this week, article Spring Branch Education Foundation Awards 127 Scholarships was published by the SBISD School Zone. The article lists a multitude of scholarships awarded to seniors around the district, including a respectable portion to the graduating seniors from Westchester Academy.


excerpt:

“These seniors and educators are stand-outs who represent so many bright stars in Spring Branch ISD,” SBEF Executive Director Cece Thompson said. “It’s a privilege to recognize them.”

“The evening is not just another opportunity to award higher education scholarships,” Warren Matthews, SBEF Scholarship Committee chair, said. “We publicly pay tribute to our seniors for their achievements, to the educators who have prepared our honorees for the next stage of their lives and to our community leaders and volunteers for their support and involvement in educating our youth.”

Scholarships presented to WAIS Class of 2016 graduates include:

Employee Campaign Scholarship
Zeynep Dikmen, Clinton Dougher, Marie Drosche, Jon Lim, Joshua McCune, Jesid Post, Emily Ripkowski, Diana Villareal

CITGO STEM Scholarship
Anthony Gonzalez, Kevin Le, Emily Navejar, Daniel Villagomez

Council of PTAs Scholarship
Sara Farrokhi

Spring Branch Education Foundation Scholarship
Sam Farrokhi

Read the full article  on the SBISD School Zone.

Photo by IBDP student Santiago Moreno.

About Spring Branch Education Foundation:Spring Branch Education Foundation is committed to supporting SBISD students and educators. It partners with the district and community to fund programs that enhance education and prepare students for the future. Since 1993, the Foundation has donated more than $9 million to the district. In 2015, dewey & associates ranked SBEF 17th in the nation among K-12 education foundations and number one in its division of foundations with $1 million to $1,999,999 in revenues. SBEF is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax deductible.

WAIS Graduate Spotlight: Nancy

Nancy Uroza is featured in a new article, First to Graduate, First to College for WAIS Senior, on SBISD's School Zone. Nancy is a Bilingual IB Diploma Candidate and is involved in National Honor Society, French Honor Society, and Spanish Honor Society.

( . . . )  

Nancy Uroza will be the first in her family to graduate from high school and the first to go to college. And not only graduate from high school, but to graduate with a bilingual International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. Twelfth grade counselor Beverly Martin puts that piece into perspective – “It’s the hardest one,” she said. “The language piece is like taking it in that country.”

Uroza, 18, said that coming to WAIS in sixth grade gave her stability that she hadn’t had before.

“I like it here,” she said. “We moved around a lot in Cy-Fair and staying here was stable for me.”

( . . . )  

She plans to first attend the University of Houston-Downtown then transfer to Houston Baptist University and study business administration. She’s not exactly sure what she wants to do after that. 

“Maybe I’ll open a family company, something horticultural, in honor of my dad,” she said. Or maybe a shoe company – “I love shoes,” she said – and donate some of the profits to a service organization. 

“I love helping people,” she said. “Maybe I’ll form a non-profit.” 

Read the full article by Rusty Graham on SBISD's School Zone.

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WAIS Graduate Spotlight: Daniel

Daniel Villagomez is featured in a new article, Mother the Picture of Sacrifice for WAIS Graduate, on SBISD's School Zone. Daniel is an IBCP Candidate and is a salutatorian of the Class of 2016. He was also chosen by his peers as Prom King and Mr. Wais.

Daniel Villagomez knows sacrifice. He even knows what it looks like. 

“Sacrifice. I’ve gotten to know it so well,” Villagomez said. “My mother – this is what sacrifice is.”

His mother – a single mom with four kids – put three of those kids through private school St. Mark’s Lutheran for elementary and middle school, then sent Villagomez’s older siblings through another private school for high school.

And it was his mother who found Westchester Academy of International Studies and knew that it, not the other private high school, was the right fit for Villagomez – it was public and had rigorous academics and other opportunities.  

( . . . ) 

With no legacy to follow into WAIS, Villagomez waited out the lottery system and waiting list, being notified in the summer before he started ninth grade that he’d been accepted. 

“I knew one person (at WAIS),” he said. “But even if I hadn’t known anybody I would have been fine. That’s why I love Westchester.” Noting his recent election as prom king he added, “I guess that shows I’ve met a few people here (at WAIS).” 

Read the full article by Rusty Graham on SBISD's School Zone.

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WAIS Yearbook Distribution

The official 33rd volume of the Westchester Yearbook, Miacis, will be distributed Wednesday during advisory. Students who've ordered a book will be able to pick one up from the Balcony Mac Lab. If a student was unable to pick up a book during the scheduled time, they may see Mr. Wegscheid during lunch or after school. 

Last year's book, the 2015 Miacis Yearbook, was recognized as Honorable Mention by Balfour Publishing. About 15% of books receive recognition each year. This is the third MIACIS yearbook in a row to receive recognition from our publisher. The previous two years, 2013 and 2014, were also both recognized by our publisher. 

We always order extra books, and students who forgot to order a book can purchase while supplies last. Rarely do we have books still available the following year. For more information, visit the Miacis page on our website.

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WAIS Senior Walk

The Westchester Academy graduating class of 2016 recently visited Wilchester Elementary. With Westchester students coming from all over the Spring Branch district, some of the class of 2016 attended Wilchester for elementary.

The Wilchester Elementary students cheered, waved, and gave high fives as WAIS Graduates walked through the campus. The graduates returned to WAIS, touring both the upper and middle school building before taking a class photo in front of the upper school arches.

Photo at Top by WAIS IB MYP Student Victoria Ramon.

Video of Senior Walk by WAIS IB MYP / Guthrie Student Eduardo Hernandez.
Footage by Faculty Member Shaun Wegscheid and Student Eduardo Hernandez.
Photography by WAIS IBDP Candidate Santiago Moreno and IB MYP Student Victoria Ramon.

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Kevin Dikdan - WAIS & Wilchester Graduate

Before attending WAIS, some students first attend at Wilchester Elementary- just across Yorkchester. Some students may go from kindergarten through 12th grade and just transition once from the elementary campus on the east side of Yorkchester, to the 6th-12th secondary campus on the west side of Yorkchester.

Kevin Dikdan is one such student who spent his elementary years at Wilchester before attending WAIS. Kevin participated in a video interview with Spring Branch Communications Department after the event, shown below.

Video Interview of Kevin Dikdan by SBISD Communications Department.

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WAA Scholarships Awarded

The Westchester Alumni Association awarded six Westchester Academy International School graduating seniors $1000 each at the Westchester Awards Night on Tuesday, May 17.

 We are very proud to recognize the Class of 2016 winners! 

• Zeynep Dikmen 
• Jon Austin Lim 
• Shukri E. Mahaley 
• Joshua Tyler McCune 
• Emily Daniela Navejar 
• Nancy Araceli Uroza 

Congratulations to the recipients! 

Applicants were evaluated on academic merit, ACT or SAT scores, extracurricular activities, awards, and community service. Since 2007, the Westchester Alumni Association Student Scholarship Fund* has awarded $60,000 to 60 deserving, college bound Westchester Academy International School graduating seniors.

 *Donations to the scholarship fund are accepted all year from Westchester alumni and corporate sponsors. To make your donation to the scholarship fund please visit www.westchesterwildcats.com and click on Scholarship Donation.

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News on State Funding for Education

The SBISD School Zone has recently shared several articles related to school funding in the state of Texas. A majority of district in the State, Spring Branch included, have great concern with the current funding method and how it impacts their ability to provide for the students and families they serve.

An excerpt of each of the three articles is provided below, with links to the full articles.

Texas Supreme Court Upholds School Funding System

From the Texas Tribune:

( . . . )
Two-thirds of Texas school districts sued the state after the Legislature cut $5.4 billion from the public education budget in 2011. 

Their lawyers argued the state's method of funding public schools was unconstitutional on a variety of grounds — that the Legislature had failed to provide districts with sufficient funding to ensure students meet the state's increasingly difficult academic standards; that big disparities had emerged between property-wealthy and property-poor school districts; and that many school districts were having to tax at the maximum rate just to provide a basic education, meaning they lacked "meaningful discretion" to set rates. That amounts to a violation of a constitutional ban on a statewide property tax.
( . . . ) 

Read the full article on the SBISD School Zone.
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Preliminary Budget Built on Cost Efficiencies

( . . . )
Under the state’s “recapture” law, also known as Robin Hood, the school district is considered property-wealthy, which will require state payments to double from $33 million to $66 million, and then go up to more than $90 million. 

Over three years, SBISD’s estimated Robin Hood payments to the State of Texas – not students or teachers in SBISD – are projected to skyrocket to a projected $190 million.
( . . . )

Read the full article on the SBISD School Zone.

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Texas Supreme Court Says Current School Finance System Meets Constitutional Standards

From the Texas Tribune:

( . . . )
“This decision represents a dark day for Texas school children, especially given the Legislature’s repeated failure to adequately fund our schools,” Mr. Trachtenberg said. “Given the importance of education in the 21st Century economy, Texas simply cannot afford to be bringing up the rear among the states in financial support of public education.”  

Added Mr. Turner: “We believe the trial court’s conclusion was correct: schools do not have the resources—or the local control over their tax rates—to meet the standards set forth in the Texas Constitution. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court justices did not agree. At this point, our districts can only hope that the Legislature will reverse course on its own, and make the changes needed to improve our system.”
( . . . )

Read the full article on the SBISD School Zone.

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Senior Signing @ WAIS

The auditorium at WAIS filled with students and families to hear this year's graduating class announce the college and universities they'll attend. Candidates for graduation also announced career fields they will pursue through their studies.

Most students declared enrollment into in-state schools, but there were a number of out-of-state and several out-of-country schools as well. Schools included University of Houston, Texas A&M, Houston Baptist University, Sam Houston State University, Trinity University, University of St. Thomas, University of Alabama, University of Virginia, Columbia University, Kettering University, and others. Some students will directly enter the military, and others will first earn an Associate Degree at a junior college, like the Lone Star College and Blinn College, before transferring to a four-year program.

Career fields of interest for this year's graduating class included engineering, business, journalism, medicine, psychology, computer science, graphic design, education, forensics, military, and a multitude of others.

Photos by WAIS IBDP student Santiago Moreno.