The camp sessions will be held from 1-4 p.m. and the cost of the camp is $50.
Courtesy Grand Prairie ISD
For the first time since the implementation of the more rigorous TAKS test in 2003, Grand Prairie ISD will have its first Exemplary campuses. Staff and students at Powell Elementary School and Moore Elementary School are very excited with the initial results indicating they have met the state’s highest criteria for student achievement.
Continue reading "Grand Prairie ISD releases preliminary TAKS scores" »
Two innovative school principals found a way to get Grand Prairie ISD Superintendent Dr. Susan Simpson to serve them breakfast on the job, spend the night on the roof of Sally B. Moore elementary school.
With an unusual 10:30 a.m. game time, Education Day at QuikTrip Park brought the entire Grand Prairie ISD’s fourth grade to the ballpark to watch the AirHogs play the El Paso Diablos Tuesday morning.
David Burke, AirHogs' General Manager, said he met with school superintendent Dr. Susan Simpson with his proposal to “bring all the kids out for free, have a 10:30 morning game.” Before he could finish his proposal, Dr. Simpson agreed, Burke said.
“With the help of the GPISD, they bus the kids here. We give them free tickets to the game, compliments of Pepsi Cola,” Burke said. “They get to enjoy America’s pastime and they don’t have to go to school.”
He said the AirHogs plan for education days at the ballpark to be a permanent part of the team’s schedule.
“This is a good day for Grand Prairie, this is a good day for Grand Prairie ISD, and this is a great day for our kids who have worked hard all year and they deserve to be here and I’m glad to be a part of it,” Bret Jimerson, Deputy Superintendent said.
View Shattered Dreams slideshow - Warning! This slideshow contains graphic images. Individuals pictured are actors and made-up to depict accident victims. Some of the images may be disturbing to some people.
The Grand Prairie Police Department and the Grand Prairie Independent School District conducted a mock traffic collision on the parking lot of Grand Prairie High School, 101 High School Drive, on Monday. The accident is part of a national campaign, Shattered Dreams, to increase awareness among high school students about the dangers of drunk driving and the tragic consequences that too often result from DWI-related crashes.
Continue reading "Shattered Dreams - mock accident - Grand Prairie High School" »
The Graphic Arts program at South Grand Prairie High School became an accredited PrintED program on May 12. Only four other high schools in Texas have this accredited course.
PrintED is administered by the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAERF). This national accreditation and certification program is based on industry standards for graphic communications courses of study at the secondary and post-secondary levels.
Continue reading "Graphic Arts program accredited PrintED" »
Mark Hepworth defeated former council member Harry Englert for the Grand Prairie City Council, District 1 spot by a 679 to 248 margin.
J. D. Stewart received 75% of the votes, 873 to 295, defeating incumbent Michael Grace for the Grand Prairie Independent School Board Trustee, Place 4, spot.
The Grand Prairie Independent School District Board of Trustees approved the purchase of the former Winn Dixie grocery, 1100 N. Carrier Pkwy, at their regular board meeting Thursday night.
Continue reading "School board approves purchase of Winn Dixie property" »
The purchase of the former Winn Dixie grocery located at 1100 N. Carrier Parkway will be an agenda item on Thursday’s Grand Prairie Independent School District Board of Trustees meeting. The school district plans to develop the property into an Accelerated High School.
Continue reading "School District wants to purchase former Winn Dixie grocery" »
MedVance Institute, a leading healthcare career training provider, has arrived in Grand Prairie. The school, which has nine campuses in Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas, recently opened its tenth, and newest, campus at 401 East Palace Parkway.
Continue reading "New campus offers training for professional careers in healthcare" »
Daniels Elementary Academy held their 3rd annual Earth Day Parade, Tuesday. Students, staff and dignitaries marched through the streets spreading the school's environmental message about taking care of our precious planet.
Continue reading "Daniels Elementary Academy celebrates Earth Day with parade" »
The Grand Prairie Independent School District Board of Trustees unanimously voted on a name to the new career high school located at Highway 161 and West Warrior Trail.
The new high school will be named The John A. Dubiski Career High School after the late John Dubiski, a longtime educator and administrator in the GPISD.
NASCAR team owner Richard Childress Racing (RCR) announced Tuesday that Grand Prairie based American Eurocopter has joined the RCR as an associate sponsor of the No. 29 Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS for the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series season.
Continue reading "American Eurocopter joins RCR family of sponsors" »
The South Grand Prairie Robotics team traveled to Katy, Texas, to compete in Texas’ largest robotics competition, the FIRST Robotics Competition, Lone Star Regional, March 20 – 22.
The team of nine 7th – 12th grade students was one of 46 teams and more than 1,000 students from across the United States and Brazil at this year’s competition.
Continue reading "Robotics team brings back prestigious award" »
Pylons, poles, and markings decorated South Grand High School parking lot Saturday afternoon as drivers from the Grand Prairie Independent School District maneuvered buses through a complex driving course that tested their skills.
On Wednesday afternoon the Grand Prairie Independent School District officially broke ground on what School Board member Chester McCrary called “one of the crown jewels” of the district, the Career High School.
Continue reading "Ground breaking for GPISD's "crown jewel"" »
The Grand Prairie AirHogs’ logo advanced to the second round of the CNBC.com minor league baseball logo contest with a 54 to 46 percent vote margin victory over the Durham Bulls Wednesday.
“It’s an honor to have defeated a team as well respected in baseball as the Durham Bulls,” said Dave Burke, AirHogs General Manager. “We are thrilled that our fan base and people all over the country have found our name and logo so appealing.”
Continue reading "AirHogs on to second round in logo contest" »
South Grand Prairie High School's Robotic Team took second palce in Saturday's First Tech Challenge, Southwest Regional Competition hosted by the University of Texas at Arlington's College of Engineering. Fifteen teams from around the area took part in this year's competion.
The team of 7th through 12th grade students lead by South Grand Prairie High School math teacher Phil Harris, designed and built the remote controlled robot used in the challenge.
The actual competition was held within small arena where robots from four teams battled each other to move and pick up objects in order to score points.
The next meet for the team will be the Lone Star Regional, March 20-22 in Katy, Texas. This is an international event with 46 teams compteing.
Fred Clausen, Grand Prairie Independent School District Athletic Director, named Rob Davies as the new head football coach and campus athletic coordinator for South Grand Prairie High School Warriors.
Davies the Warriors’ defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the past seven years will replace former head coach David Fisher, who resigned on Monday.
Along with his new coaching duties, Davies will oversee all athletics at South Grand Prairie High School, Clausen said.
After announcing Fisher’s resignation on Monday, Clausen said he would first look for a replacement among the talented coaches within the district before searching outside.
Clausen also announced that South Grand Prairie High School Assistant Principal Tim Harkrider will be the school’s interim baseball coach replacing J. T. Herak, who resigned from his coaching duties for personal reasons.
Harkrider a two-time All-American shortstop for the University of Texas, former professional player in the Los Angeles Angels organization, and former head baseball coach for Fort Worth Brewer High School will lead the Warriors for the remainder of the season.
Mr. Kenneth King’s second period math class at Grand Prairie ISD's Bill Arnold Middle School accomplished an amazing feat – they pulled together to win a national math competition – beating out 400 other schools across the United States for a chance to donate $1,000 to the charity of their choosing.
Apangea Learning, a leading provider of online supplemental math instruction, conducted this national contest. The contest’s goal was to encourage students to learn math outside of the classroom, especially during their personal time (nights and weekends). Over 10,000 students competed to have Apangea Learning donate $1,000 to the charity of choice for the class that successfully completed the most math problems over a two-day period.
Mr. King’s students, who are a mix of 7th and 8th graders and are below basic proficiency level, completed the most problems for this national contest -- choosing the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society North Dallas Chapter as their charity of choice.
Today Mr. King's class presented the $1,000 check to Stacey Russell, Campaign Director, with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
“Mr. King’s students have accomplished something great today and they should feel very proud knowing that their hard work, determination and altruistic spirit will help those suffering from leukemia and lymphoma,” stated Apangea Learning CEO Louis Piconi.
South Grand Prairie’s head football coach David Fisher cited personal reasons for his resignation which was announced Monday.
In the seven years as head coach Fisher has taken the Warriors to three district playoffs.
Grand Prairie ISD Communications Director Sam Buchmeyer said district athletic director Fred Clausen named Rob Davies as the interim coach. He said athletic director Clausen will take the time to closley look over candidates within the district before making a decision on a replacement for Fisher.
Monday evening the South Grand Prairie Student Council held a gala Disney World send-off party for 5-year-old Kaitlyn Kalvig for her up coming trip sponsored by the Student Council.
The Student Council learned of Kaitlyn’s desire to visit the world famous theme park through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Kaitlyn suffers from a life threatening heart condition.
In December the Student Council hosted a charity basketball game billed as “Make a Swish for Make-A-Wish” to raise money for the trip. The game which pitted faculty members against students brought in more than the necessary $6,000.
Student Council sponsor Debbie Beaudin said the students planned and prepared Monday’s send-off party that treated Kaitlyn with a limousine ride to South Grand Prairie High school where she was greeted by heralding trumpets and students dressed as Disney characters. Kaitlyn got to eat pizza and cake and received a tub of gifts. Cosmetology students gave Kaitlyn a complete make-over.
Kaitlyn embarks upon her dream trip Thursday.
On February 25 the South Grand Prairie Student Council will send-off a 5-year-old girl to visit Disney World.
Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation the Student Council was connected to Caitlyn whose wish is to visit theme park.
In December the Student Council hosted a charity basketball game pitting faculty members against students raising $6,000 in ticket sales to the game billed as “Make a Swish for Make-A-Wish.”
The send-off celebration begins at 6:00 p.m. in the Keel Theater at South Grand Prairie High School.
The South Grand Prairie High School Chey-Anne (Varsity) and Indi-Anne (Junior Varsity) Teams are preparing for try-outs for the 2008-09 school year.
A try-out information meeting is scheduled for February 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the library of South Grand Prairie High School for parents or guardians to learn about membership requirements for students and costs. Parents or guardians must attend the meeting with the student.
The Chey-Anne Drill team is a performance dance team that supports and promotes school spirit at South Grand Prairie High School. The Chey-Anne Drill team performs at pep rallies, football games, basketball games, parades and other school sponsored events.
Membership on the Chey-Anne and Indi-Anne Drill Teams is open to freshman through seniors planning to attend South Grand Prairie High School in 2008-09. A panel of judges selects team members and placement is based on skill level.
For additional information contact Drill Team Director, Sandy Morton at 972-343-1500.
Get your resume prepared and be rady for an interview February 28 at the Community Diversity Job Fair.
The Event will be held from 4-7 p.m. in the South Grand Prairie High School cafeteria and coliseum.
The fair, diverse in both careers being offered and in the applicants attending, is hosted by:
If you would like to be an exhibitor at the job fair, access the online Exhibitor Registration Form. Deadline to register as an exhibitor is February 13.
Courtesy Grand Prairie ISD
On February 14, the Grand Prairie Independent School District will receive a check for $ 14,730 from the Oncor SCORE Program for energy efficient lighting upgrades in their libraries at Crockett, Daniels, Moore and Whitt Elementary schools, as well as new construction at Moseley Elementary. The new construction project incorporated both high efficient lighting and a geothermal heating and cooling system. The EPA Energy Star program will also award the district the Energy Star label for all 37 schools in Grand Prairie ISD.
The Texas Schools Conserving Resources (SCORE) Program is a pilot program being sponsored by Oncor Electric Delivery for select school districts to help improve energy efficiency and reduce schools’ energy operating costs. The district is awarded incentives for reducing their peak demand energy needs through facility upgrades and efficient new construction. Organizations earn the ENERGY STAR Award by being a top performer within EPA’s national energy performance rating system. Grand Prairie ISD joins approximately 3,200 buildings nationwide that have earned the ENERGY STAR Award.
“The SCORE Program has helped us to realize that our buildings were eligible for the ENERGY STAR label. We are grateful that our efforts in energy management have allowed us to achieve this distinguished honor. This is a recognition shared by all district staff and students who have adopted a culture of energy awareness. Efficient use of our financial resources is a benefit to our entire community,” said Grand Prairie ISD Executive Director of Facilities Greg Vernon.
Jerry Palermo, Assistant Director of Maintenance and Operations, oversees the energy management program in the district. He has been a big supporter of saving energy within the district and mentioned that “the money saved can be reinvested directly back into our classrooms, and by being energy efficient we are setting a good example for students, teachers and staff.” Staff are reminded of their energy efficiency with a yellow card thanking them for turning off computers and monitors for the night while a blue card serves as a friendly reminder to power down each evening.
As part of being a SCORE program participant, the district has also developed an energy master plan so they can continue to take the best approach toward reducing the district’s energy bills. Vernon recognized that “the incentives motivated us (to do the projects), but the long-term financial savings to our district over the coming years will be even more valuable.”
“Oncor Electric Delivery is proud to offer a unique program that serves the vital needs of Texas public schools. We are committed to the future of our local communities and our children,” said Jeff Reed, SCORE Program Manager for Oncor Electric Delivery. “The SCORE Program provides comprehensive tools and incentive dollars to help districts manage their energy use so that more of their budget dollars end up in the classroom for students.”
The SCORE Program is administered by CLEAResult Consulting. For more information about the SCORE Program please visit CLEAResults Consulting.
Oncor Electric Delivery operates the largest distribution and transmission system in Texas, providing power to three million homes and businesses, and operates more than 115,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines in Texas. Information about Oncor Electric Delivery can be obtained by going directly to ONCOR.
Grand Prairie ISD became the largest school district to sign on to an internet based alert system that can quickly send emergency messages.
The company FlashAlert.net guarantees it will get an e-mail or cell phone text message to subscribers within five minutes.
Sam Buchmeyer, Director of Communications for GPISD, said the new alert system is an addition to the phone out notification system the district currently has in place. He said the district plans to continue to utilize the automated phone out system because it can be operated by staff and it has the ability to narrow notifications to small areas such as an individual school.
The new FlashAlert system is designed so the district could “push emergency and non-emergency information to the media” without making multiple calls, Buchmeyer said. As a side component, parents could sign up and receive the alerts, he said.
Grand Prairie ISD plans to use the system for district wide notifications of both emergency and non-emergency information such as school closing during inclement weather.
Buchmeyer said, “We would obviously be very judicious with what we put out.”
He said he does not want parent’s cell phones constantly ringing with messages about something that does not apply to them.
The district plans to begin testing the system soon and Buchmeyer said for those interested in subscribing to monitor the district’s web site for sign-up instructions.
Photos of the 11th Annual Lone Star Duals held January 4 in the South Grand Prairie Warrior Coliseum.
