MISD Students Place in a National Video Competition

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Six students from Ben Barber Innovation Academy and Frontier High School placed in the top three for StudentCam, an annual C-SPAN documentary competition.

Students in grades 6-12 were asked to create a five to six minute video documentary on what it means to be American.

“I told them don’t just find something. Make sure it’s something that you believe in,” said Ryan Tuomey, arts and audio/visual teacher at Ben Barber. “All my students hit that note, but there were a couple that stood out that I thought did very well.”

The students competed in groups of three. One group from Ben Barber placed second, receiving a cash prize of $1,500. The other group placed third and received $750.

“They did an amazing job,” said Tuomey. “We’ve done this competition for a few years and each year it gets better and better. They really put thought into it and we tried to make sure the actual message is there and it’s not just coming from a film production aspect. We actually want that message to hit home.”

Jenae Green from C-SPAN awarded the StudentCam winners on April 4 at Ben Barber Invitation Academy and Frontier High School.

“We figured we would do well, but we didn’t think we would do this well,” DJ Elliott, Frontier High School senior. “We’re very proud. It was cool to see that email saying we got third and it was a cool experience.”

When making the documentaries, the students set up interviews to convey the stories they wanted to tell. One team landed an interview with Lupe Valdez, a 2018 democratic nominee for Governor of Texas. The other interviewed the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban.

“Our process was very unconventional to most people,” said Tanner Fenton, Frontier High School senior. “We reached out to many different interviewees and we actually got a response from a politician. That was the biggest surprise that they wanted to talk to us kids.”

The deadline for submissions was on January 20.

“We’d gotten the prompt around the first of December, but the problem is obviously winter break,” said Fenton. “The time constraint hurt, but it also helped because it helped us be efficient and helped us not to sit there and lull around.”

The second place video, “’Til We Reach That Day” will air on C-SPAN throughout the day on April 10.

“I believe that being an American means that you have the opportunity to make a difference,” said Elliott. “You live in a place where if you want to do something, you can go out and have lots of resources available to you to go out a make that possible.”

To see the second place winner, “’Til We Reach That Day” go here. To see the third place video, “America: The Land of Opportunity!” go here.

MISD High School Students Unite to Help Hurricane-Devastated School District

Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the shores of Texas in August, and the effects of the devastation will take years to mend.

Bloomington Independent School District is one of the communities that was hit hard by the storm. The area has 85 percent of its homes still damaged, and rebuilding has been a challenge—even for its schools.

When MISD high school students heard that Bloomington ISD students and their families were still struggling to recover, they decided to put their rivalries aside and join forces to make the holiday season a little more joyful.

“What we’re doing is raising this money to give back to the kids in time for the holidays so they can have the stuff they want,” said Dejardin Moffett, a junior at Timberview High School. “Their families may not be able to pay for the toys because it’s not a necessity.”

The community fundraiser was held Nov. 28 at El Primo's in Mansfield.

The students held a silent auction fundraiser and invited the community to come out and bid on several baskets full of goodies. Their goal was $10,000, but they ended up raising $15,000.

Other community members also pitched in so that Bloomington ISD students could have books, a gift card and a t-shirt.

“I know a book isn’t everything they want, but I hope they appreciate it,” said senior Sadie Johnson of Legacy High School. “I hope they feel loved, and I’m really excited.”

MISD staff and a few of the students will deliver the presents to Bloomington ISD on Dec. 13. Moffett said he hopes high school students all across the district will continue to unite for the greater good.

“We are MISD, meaning we are all one district,” he added. “Projects such as this are an example of #WeAreMISD because we’re all coming together and using our power, our great student leaders that we have at every school, and putting it together to do something great—not only for our community, but for other communities outside of us.”

Student-Run Restaurant Reopens Oct. 17

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There’s a reason why Savvy’s Bistro, located inside of Ben Barber Innovation Academy, is called food with educated taste. The restaurant is operated by high school students in the culinary arts program.

Savvy’s Bistro started more than ten years ago as a test kitchen for the aspiring chefs. Under the guidance of Chef Adair Smith, the eatery expanded to a place that is open to the public.

The restaurant will reopen for the 2017-18 school year on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

“My students have been preparing for this for a month-and-a-half, and they’re ready to go,” said the culinary teacher. “From the servers to the back of the house to the executive chefs, everybody’s ready to make sure we’re 100 percent on service and food.”

Savvy's Bistro also caters food for campus and district events.

New this year, patrons will get to enjoy a bigger and newly remodeled dining area. Another added feature is the ability to see students cook the food in an exhibition kitchen.

Students who work at Savvy's Bistro are certified ServSafe food handlers. They said it’s a great opportunity to experience the real world in a safe and nurturing environment.

“He doesn’t baby us. We make our mistakes, and we learn from them,” said Cecilia Harlen, senior at Frontier High School. “Instead of sitting in a classroom and watching videos on how to make something, we actually make it.”

Chef Smith said there are menu staples, but there are also new featured foods every two weeks. The featured foods on opening day will be spicy Cajun dishes.

“If you’re in the mood for some really tasty food, come on down to Savvy’s Bistro,” he added.

Savvy’s Bistro is open every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on school days. To view a menu and calendar, visit the restaurant’s webpage.

MISD Senior Graduating with Associate Degree

Cobb graduated from TCC on May 16.

It’s graduation weekend at Mansfield ISD; and for one senior, it’ll be the second time within a month that she crossed the stage.

Frontier High School’s Brianna Cobb earned her associate degree before officially receiving her high school diploma.

She was able to accomplish the academic feat through Frontier’s Tarrant County College Trinity River East Campus (TREC) program. The program allows health science students an opportunity to earn 42 dual credit college hours and a certification.

The 18-year-old joined TREC in her junior year. She said it was a big goal to set for herself and admits that the road wasn’t easy.

“It was frustrating at times,” she explained. “Sometimes I wanted to give up because of the workload.”

Cobb took 17 college hours last semester. She said that she didn’t have much time for extracurricular activities in her junior or senior year, but knew that her end game was more important.

“I kept telling myself that it’ll be worth it, and it was so worth it. I’m so glad I stuck with it,” she continued. “I’m still in shock. When I think about it, I’m like ‘Wow! I did it!’”

The graduate plans to enroll at the University of North Texas this fall to earn her bachelor’s degree. She wants to become a cosmetic surgeon or an obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN).

“I’d tell anyone who wants to do what I did to persevere,” she said. “It can get stressful, but don’t give up. Believe in yourself.”

For more information about MISD’s TREC program, visit the Frontier High School counseling center webpage.

A Little-Known Resource for MISD High Schoolers

Smith (middle) and Spikes (right) walked a student through
the college application process.

For high schoolers who need some extra guidance with anything and everything related to college, free help is only a hallway or two away.

Mansfield ISD partners with The University of Texas at Arlington and inspirED to provide each high school with GO Centers. The centers connect high school students with college mentors who help them throughout the year with topics ranging from college admission, career choices and scholarships.

“Sometimes parents don’t have the time or knowledge to give their children what they need for college,” said Michelle Smith, counselor at Frontier High School. “Students come in who are first-generation college goers or who don’t have the means to help themselves. The Go Centers give them that extra one-on-one time.”

Smith said the centers have been a great extension to the counseling program.

At Frontier High School, former graduates are the ones manning the booths. Graduate Abigail Spikes said she was ready for college, but decided to come back and help other high schoolers when she realized everyone wasn’t as fortunate.

GO Centers are located near the counseling office.

“A lot of my friends didn’t have everything together for college,” said the Dallas Baptist University freshman. “I felt called to come back because college is incredibly scary if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

Spikes wants each high school student to know that they are not alone.

“We are here to help. We can schedule college visits, register for the SAT/ACT, talk about dual credit—there’s so many ways to get you on the right track after graduation, and it’s right here on campus for free.”

Students can set up appointments to visit their school’s Go Center by visiting the campus website. After choosing a campus, select the “resources” option on the top menu and select “Counseling Center.”

MISD High Schools Give Back in Big Ways

Timberview High raised money for more inclusion in advertising.

Whoever said that kids these days don’t care about others obviously has never heard about the charity weeks that happen each year on the Mansfield ISD high school campuses.

Timberview High, Summit High, Legacy High, Mansfield High, and Lake Ridge High all get the entire campus to rally around a noble cause for a week-long fundraiser filled with pep rallies, contests, product sales, and dress-up days.

This year, students from Frontier High School—a school solely for juniors and seniors that focuses on post-graduation preparatory programs—decided they wanted to join their fellow campuses and give back to the community in a big way too.

“Our student council met over the summer and said they wanted to serve the community and create those unique experiences like the rest of the high schools in the district,” said Catherine Dearing, student council sponsor at Frontier High School.

The planning then began for Students Performing Acts of Random Kindness (SPARK) Week. Dearing said the kids chose to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association because a number of people, including herself, have had loved ones struggle with Alzheimer’s. The goal was to create support and awareness for the disease.

"There are a lot of misconceptions about Alzheimer’s,” said the English teacher. “We were able to have an Alzheimer’s Association representative do a Q & A at our campus. I was really proud of the students and was excited to see some of the light bulbs coming on as questions were answered.”

At the end of SPARK Week, students created a promise garden to represent how each person is connected to someone with Alzheimer’s.

“It brought people together to see others going through the same thing,” said Dearing. “It certainly increased everyone’s morale and buy-in into our mission.”

She said the total amount of funds raised is still being calculated, but it was not about the money. She was happy that the week allowed students to serve the community in a way that was meaningful to them.

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Take a look at what other MISD high schools did for their charity weeks:

• Timberview High’s Helping Others Through Giving (H.O.G) Week raised more than $19,000 for Changing the Face of Beauty to drive home the need for more inclusion in advertising.

• Summit High’s Friends Reaching Out and Giving (F.R.O.G.) Week made a dream come true for a child in the Make-a-Wish Foundation who desired to go to a Manchester United soccer game.

• Legacy High’s Legacy United through Caring and Kindness (L.U.C.K.) Week contributed to the medical bills of an eight-year-old named Christian who has health complications and has undergone multiple surgeries.

• Mansfield High’s People Encouraging And Caring for Each other (P.E.A.C.E.) Week will be May 14-20. The campus will raise money for a little boy who has ganglioneuroblastoma, an intermediate tumor that grows nerve tissue.

• Lake Ridge High’s Boldly Embracing Acts of Kindness (B.E.A.K.) Week will be May 13-20. Students and staff will raise money to support a suicide prevention agency.