SOAR Magazine - Spring 2022

SOAR

FULL CIRCLE SUCCESS

Success has come full circle for Allen High School Head Soccer Coach Kelly Thompson who went from playing soccer as a student at AHS to coaching the team to victory.

A PIONEER OF EXCELLENCE

Find out more about Flossie Floyd Green and her influence on the children in our community.

EAGLES GIVE BACK

Learn how Allen High School students are going all-in to engage in enriching community improvement activities.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

Take a look at how some of our Allen ISD alumni are soaring!

SPRING 2022

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF ALLEN ISD RIN SP

Produced by the Allen ISD Communications Department

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CONTENT 03

07

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reen G g n i r e e Pion esakellen was primarily m a N y r a Element ars ago the west side ocfhAool. That all

s n 3 0 ye ut a single F lossie F loyd Gree Less tha n nd w it ho f la o g n d g e ri in p e n e lo e pion e op u n de v e 95 w it h th ut more about th is ol d istr ict 19 in d e g o o cha n e sc h Find r y School. her in fluence on th Elementa d n a e k me s a school na un it y. the com m s a ll a s we

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ack Eagles GivtoeanBy holiday break is typicalll, yanfidlleda

schoo ing in me off from T he day lead vacations, ti of Hig h School ts en ll gh A , ou w it h th ay. T h is year d o-t ay days before d fe med the hal or brea k from th sf an tr d of the year. itch an oduct ive days flipped the sw pr t os m gage in e th me of udents to en brea k into so rt un it y for st po op . an es is ti ay tivi Eagle Give D provement ac m mun it y im en rich ing co

11. Cream of the Crop 15. Thompson Returns 18. Running Strong 19. Signing Day 27. Science Fair 29. Alumni Highlights

For advertisement opportunities, email community@allenisd.org.

CALLING ALL EAGLES

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Dr. Robin Bullock

Allen ISD Superintendent

he best part about being Superintendent for Allen ISD is the opportunity to regularly visit campuses and interact with students and staff in their dayto-day activities. As I drive between campuses and through our neighborhoods, I can’t help but notice the steady stream of moving vans and the “For Sale” yard signs with “Sold!” across the front. It’s no secret that the housing market is booming nationwide, and Allen is, without a doubt, a desired destination because of our city and school district.

opportunity to take field trips to campuses like our STEAM Center and receive free tickets to events like Allen High School musicals or athletic events. Community members who visit the Eagle Engagement webpage can learn more about Silver Eagles or our numerous other engagement opportunities like Leadership Academy, Parent University, and more. Think of Eagle Engagement as your one-stop-shop to search for ways that you can become connected with Allen ISD and participate in various groups or activities.

New residents are moving to our community from just about everywhere – from other parts of Texas and the nation, and international newcomers are also settling in Allen. These new households are filled with young couples, families with schoolage children, and empty nesters whose days of carpool pick-up lanes and PTA meetings are behind them.

I’m also excited for Eagle Engagement to grow over the years and add new events and outreach opportunities. We’re still in the planning stages, but the district is in the process of developing an opportunity to build relationships with new residents who have moved to Allen. I believe that our school district should continue to extend its hand to all our citizens and find ways we can work collaboratively.

Here in Allen ISD, we want to connect with every member of our community, regardless of whether they have children in our district or not. There are so many opportunities to become involved in our schools, but finding the right opportunity can sometimes be a challenge. It’s my hope that finding the right opportunity to connect with Allen ISD will become easier with the introduction of Eagle Engagement.

Eagle Engagement is a new initiative to showcase the numerous ways in which community members can learn more about our school district. Many of these engagement opportunities already existed, but they will now become easier to find under the centrally housed Eagle Engagement website.

The Silver Eagles Club is a perfect example. Silver Eagles is a group that was formed in the Fall of 2021 for members of our community who are 60 years of age and older. Membership in the Silver Eagles is free and provides participants the

Allen ISD has excelled for more than a century due to the students, teachers, and staff who have walked our school hallways. Just as important to that success is the parents, grandparents, and community members who have backed us every single step of the way. Our school district is only as strong as the community members who are willing to offer their support.

Allen ISD plans to officially launch the Eagle Engagement program later this summer, and I hope to see you at some of our events soon.

Sincerely, Robin Bullock, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

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THE MORE THINGS CHANGE

A Look at the Life and Legacy of Flossie Floyd Green

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BY DAVID HICKS, CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER early every inch of the 26-square miles in Allen ISD is filled with homes, shops, schools, or wellmanicured parks. The western portion of the district now hosts 10 Allen ISD campuses and a bustling population, but it was less than 30 years ago that the west side was primarily undeveloped land without a single school. That all changed in 1995 with the opening of Flossie Floyd Green Elementary School.

Many of the schools in Allen ISD are named after individuals who served on the Board of Trustees or worked on a campus or in administration. Flossie Floyd-Green didn’t have those qualifications on her resume, but she was a woman who loved all children she came in contact with and helped them in any way she could. When it came time to choose a namesake for the first elementary campus on the western side of Allen ISD, the Board had an easy choice in selecting Flossie, a woman who left a legacy of supporting children throughout the community.

Flossie’s story began in 1886 when she was born and raised on a farm in Allen just north of the campus that bears her name. The farm was given to her parents, Robert and Lena, as a wedding present in 1872 by her grandparents. One of nine children, Flossie attended a one-room schoolhouse near the current intersection of Custer and Highway 121. She later attended college at what is now Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas.

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“BY NAMING OUR SCHOOLS IN ALLEN AFTER LOCAL COMMUNITY LEADERS, IT SENDS A MESSAGE ABOUT WHAT WE VALUE AND WHAT WE CHERISH.” Flossie married John W. Green who was born and raised on a nearby farm where Green Elementary School stands. The couple raised two children, John and Leonard, in Allen and Albuquerque, New Mexico, before returning to McKinney.

John died unexpectedly in 1932 leaving Flossie to manage the 132-acre family farm at the height of the Depression. Despite the challenges, Flossie maintained the farm and provided a college education for her sons. Both grew to become highly successful businessmen; one became executive vice-president for Texaco and the other served as president of the Dr. Pepper Company.

Church was an important part of the family’s life, according to Flossie’s grandson John Green who, with his wife Georgie, managed a Morgan horse farm on the original Floyd family property for many years. “She rarely missed a service at the First Baptist Church in McKinney and was active in that congregation for over 50 years,” John said. “She loved children

and especially enjoyed working with the GA (Girls in Action) group at the McKinney church.”

John spent many summers at his grandmother’s farm and remembers her as strict yet kind. “I learned more than a few good lessons about telling the truth from my grandmother.

Her farm was a wonderful place to visit.”

“My grandmother was a good steward of the land,” said John.

“She had many opportunities to sell the property over the years but instead kept it as a working farm. She later saw the changes coming to Allen and hoped that her land would someday be used for a school.”

Flossie Floyd-Green passed away in 1976, but her grandson, John, kept her dream alive by donating land in 1993 and working with the developers of the new Twin Creeks subdivision to accommodate an elementary school in her name.

Carrie Sledge is the current AIM teacher at Green Elementary, and she’s been on the teaching staff since the doors opened at Green in August of 1995. Carrie fondly remembers the Green family and their desire to be involved in the campus life.

“The Green family has since moved away, but they used to live close by and were very present on campus,” Sledge explained.

“The family would walk the halls, read to children in the library – they just wanted to be a part of the school. The family would always host holiday parties for all the teachers and staff.

John and Georgie Green even came to my wedding!”

That feeling of family and togetherness has permeated the Green Elementary culture since day one. Stacia Butler, Green Elementary Principal, says protecting the legacy of Flossie and the Green family is very important to her.

“I’ve always felt that Allen ISD has maintained that small town feel no matter how large we may become,” Stacia said.

“In a small town, everybody helps everybody, and that is certainly true here. By naming our schools in Allen after local

community leaders, it sends a message about what we value and what we cherish.”

Green Elementary will celebrate its 25th anniversary in April 2022. Although the celebration was delayed a year due to COVID, the entire student body is looking forward to honoring the legacy that Flossie Floyd Green left behind. Campus staff have shared facts about Flossie’s life once a week on the morning announcements, and a schoolwide assembly will be held on April 29th to honor the milestone year.

Allen has certainly changed over the years, and it is almost unrecognizable from the late 1800s when Flossie was born.

One thing that’s stayed the same, however, is the community’s dedication to education and the local leaders who have offered their support to the schools every step of the way.

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RENOVATION LEADS TO INNOVATION

ERECKSON MIDDLE SCHOOL CREATIVELY ENCOMPASSES SCHOOL RENOVATION WITH NO DISRUPTION TO LEARNING

BY ERIN McCANN, DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA AND MARKETING

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ome amount of noise is expected when you visit a school building during the day. The buzz of conversation from the cafeteria or the sound of collaboration in a library space would be average ambient noise on an Allen ISD campus. What you may not expect to hear is the sound of power tools in the distance while innovation and learning take place.

Ereckson Middle School is in phase three of a four-phase, 12-month renovation. This campus upgrade was approved by voters in Proposition A of the 2020 Bond Election. Ereckson is one of four campus renovations, as well as the upgrade and renovation of three wings at Allen High School.

was too extensive to occur over the three months that students are home for the summer. Instead, Allen ISD came up with a creative plan to renovate different sections of Ereckson to minimally impact the school day while allowing the students and staff to benefit from the new design as quickly as possible.

Project planning meetings began with Leslie Norris, the campus principal, members of Allen ISD administration and Balfour Beatty Construction during the 2021-2022 school year to ensure that the phases of renovation would facilitate success.

Previous campus renovations, including the upgrade of Boon Elementary in 2021, took place over the summer months so that changes to the campus did not impact learning. This timeframe would have been impossible with the scope of the project at Ereckson.

“The Ereckson students, staff, and families have been incredible,” said Daniel Pitcock, Deputy Superintendent of Allen ISD. “They’ve been incredibly flexible as we work to replace end-of-life finishes in our building and change our learning environments to meet the current needs of students and teachers.”

Ereckson Middle School is 279,000 square feet and houses over 1,200 students. The full scope of the campus renovation

One of the ways that Ereckson has made the renovation work so seamlessly is the process of relocating entire

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sections of teachers and students out of occupied wings so that the construction team can begin the renovation process.

In October of 2021, the first grouping of students and teachers vacated an upstairs wing and temporarily moved to a modular learning environment. This allowed Balfour complete access to complete phase 1 over winter break.

Upon the return to school for the second semester, Norris and her leadership team hosted a staff gettogether to showcase the beautiful newly renovated wing which includes updated technology, flexible learning and collaborative spaces, and natural use of light and space. This also provided Norris an opportunity to reveal the new Ereckson Middle School branding and logo which will formally be in effect for the 2022-2023 school year.

As the school year continues, Ereckson staff, students and families can anticipate similar movement between wings, scheduled around school breaks. Phase 2 was completed during Allen ISD’s regularly scheduled Spring Break holiday, and Phase 3 will conclude at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. The final phase of construction will occur over the summer months of 2022 and the school will open for the 2022-2023 school year as a completely renovated campus.

“I’m excited to see the students respond to the new spaces,” said Norris. “They have had incredible attitudes about the changes this year. I think teachers also appreciate the fact that we worked the phases of construction around the grading periods for easier transitions.”

In addition to the classroom spaces and collaborative learning environments, Ereckson’s renovation will include new technology and utility efficiency changes in line with other Allen ISD renovations. These changes will preserve the lifetime of the building and reduce overall utility costs.

Allen ISD looks forward to opening Ereckson Middle School for tours of the updated facility to the community once construction and renovation have been completed.

ERECKSON MIDDLE SCHOOL IS IN PHASE THREE OF A FOUR-PHASE, 12-MONTH RENOVATION. THIS CAMPUS UPGRADE WAS APPROVED BY VOTERS IN PROPOSITION A OF THE 2020 BOND ELECTION. ERECKSON IS ONE OF FOUR CAMPUS RENOVATIONS, AS WELL AS THE UPGRADE AND RENOVATION OF THREE WINGS AT ALLEN HIGH SCHOOL.

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EAGLES GIVE BACK

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BY KELLY JUNTUNEN, COMMUNICATIONS AND ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR, ALLEN HIGH SCHOOL

he day leading into any holiday break is typically filled with thoughts of vacations, time off from school and a break from the day-to-day. Allen High School flipped the switch on that mindset with the introduction of Eagle Give Day, and the half-days before holiday breaks have transformed into some of the most productive days of the year.

smooth and we got a lot of donations, and the PTA gave us 500 loaves of bread to help out.”

Eagle Give Day occurred once in the fall and again in the spring on the early release days before a break. The entire school turned into a hive of activity with community service projects occurring from one end of the building to the other.

“I actually had a student say ‘Eagle Give Day was the most fun thing I’ve done all year,’” said Jennifer Clements, a student leadership teacher who was part of the group that spear-headed this event. “I was pleasantly surprised by the students who participated in a service project for the first time. That was our goal – to get kids who don’t normally volunteer. I was hoping that kids would learn that community service is fun. It doesn’t have to be boring and you can have a lot

Student leaders from various clubs and organizations on campus served as the ringleaders for the service opportunities, which ranged from making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the homeless to a campus wide clean-up. Other activities included packaging meals for Kids Against Hunger, creating busy bags for children who are at Children’s Hospital and even a blood drive.

“The first time that we did it in the fall – it was a very large success,” said Ava Stanzo, one of the student leaders of the PB&Joy club that makes sandwiches for the homeless weekly.

“We made more than 9,000 sandwiches during the fall Eagle Give Day, so that was a big day. The second time was also very

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Student participants were presented with options for service project choices and selected one activity for Eagle Give Day. All of the projects funneled through the campus’ service hour tracking program, x2vol.

VIDEO FEATURE! Eagle Give Day

of fun with friends and give back to an organization.”

“It was something we thought about in previous years, and with the half-days before vacations — Spring Break and Thanksgiving Break — we felt like it was the perfect day for a service learning day,” said Clements. “It was a committee effort of students and staff just brainstorming and dreaming and figuring out what was realistic and after several months we pulled it off and made Eagle Give Day happen.”

The committee solicited ideas from campus clubs and organizations, in addition to community partners, to find oncampus projects where students could sign up and participate.

The projects were all hands-on activities to get students active and involved in helping the campus or local non-profits.

“I remember us saying if we can get 500 kids to sign up and participate we will call it a success, and we ended up with over 2,000 each time,” said JD Walker, student leadership and engagement coordinator. “We started in the fall with a donation war to get the buzz going, and we were very happy with the turnout.”

With two successful events under its belt, Eagle Give Day is hopefully a new tradition for Allen High School and is already scheduled for fall 2022. The committee is dreaming big for the future.

“I’d like to find more organizations that we can partner with in

Collin County and maybe figure out some service projects off campus and spend a whole day off campus,” Clements said. “To really include projects that are outside of the norm so we can continue to teach about various needs in the community.”

Walker agrees that Eagle Give Day is here to stay.

“It was absolutely a worthwhile project and a new tradition, especially during the seasons of giving,” he said. “We want to tie in and work to make it districtwide and communitywide to help make an even bigger difference.”

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CREAM OF THE CROP

COUNSELORS

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BY ERIN MCCANN, DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA AND MARKETING

n December, five Allen ISD counselors were awarded the CREST award through the Texas School Counselor Association. Schools receiving CREST awards, which stands for Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas, have demonstrated a commitment to using the Texas Model to improve the lives and achievement of students in academic, career, and personal-social domains.

The following Allen ISD elementary schools and their counselors are part of an elite group of schools from across the state to win the CREST Award for Counseling Excellence for 2021-2022.

• Boyd Elementary, Patricia Chavez • Green Elementary, Julie Lindberg • Lindsey Elementary, Jason Sharp • Preston Elementary, Calli Smith • Story Elementary, Stacey Thomas CREST is a continuous improvement document that gives a school counseling program an opportunity to demonstrate effective communication and a commitment to obtaining results. CREST helps counselors to evaluate their counseling programs, promote their programs to the stakeholders in their districts, demonstrate the effectiveness of their guidance and counseling programs through empirical means, and

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to implement the Texas and National models for school counseling programs.

“We are immensely proud of our counselors and the tireless efforts they put forth on behalf of our students,” said Cheryl Loving, Allen ISD Director of Counseling. “It is through continuous learning and evaluation that our schools and our students continue to see academic and personal growth.”

CREST looks at the counseling program in five categories: • Introduction to the School and the Role of the Professional School Counselor • Program Implementation Cycle • Foundational Components • Four Service Delivery Components • Program Curriculum The counseling team prepares a digital submission that highlights these areas and communicates what the counseling program is doing to help students succeed. These are sent to reviewers throughout the state of Texas to be judged according to pre-set standards of excellence.

In Addition, Loving received her own award through the Texas School Counselor Association (TSCA). She was named the state’s Counselor Supervisor

of the Year and received the Rhosine Fleming Award at the TSCA Professional School Counselors Conference.

To qualify for the award, nominations are made based on letters of recommendation, a rationale statement, and a resume detailing significant contributions to the field of school counseling. Professional school counseling experience and leadership participation in the areas of supervision, professional development, program implementation, and program advocacy are also considered.

Allen ISD is incredibly proud of the counseling department and the impact that they have on nearly 22,000 students across the district.

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THOMPSON RETURNS TO OLD SOCCER STOMPING GROUNDS

BY KELLY JUNTUNEN, COMMUNICATIONS AND ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR, ALLEN HIGH SCHOOL

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the first time in 21 years. This was followed by a season cut short

by COVID. Last year the soccer team earned second in district but faced an early exit in playoffs. At the time of publication, the Lady Eagles are already in the third round of the 2022 playoffs.

“I always knew I wanted to come back to Allen. I loved being a student from first grade on here in Allen and it was just the neatest place to me.” Thompson said. “In my heart I knew I always wanted to make my way back if I had an opportunity.”

While wins are fun, Thompson doesn’t discredit the growth that can come from learning from losses and putting in the work each day.

his year’s girls soccer team’s motto is “Nothing is Given — Everything is Earned,” and no one exemplifies that maxim more than head coach Kelly Thompson. Thompson, now in her fourth year as head coach of the varsity girls soccer team at Allen, has come full circle from playing as a student at Allen High School to coaching.

Thompson was a natural athlete growing up, playing nearly every sport and doing gymnastics as a child, but soccer had a special place for her.

“Soccer started for me at age four and it never stopped,” Thompson said.

Thompson played varsity soccer all four years of high school and was the captain her senior year. After high school Thompson headed to Texas A&M University to play soccer where her team won four Big 12 Championships. That was when she started thinking about coaching as a career.

“She’s a great leader and she was fun to coach. Kelly was a great player who has a true passion for the game,”” said Karen Hunnicutt, Thompson’s coach her senior year at Allen High School. “It has been fun to see her success in her career to help channel her love for soccer and mentor young athletes.”

Thompson credits the appearances at soccer camps that she made while playing at Texas A&M as a turning point for her career path.

“I would do A&M soccer camps where little ones would come and stay in the dorm and I would be their camp counselor and get to coach them on the field and that’s where that passion for coaching started for me,” she said.

“We are really excited to be in the playoffs again this year,” Thompson said. “Due to COVID, the last time these seniors really got to go through it was their freshman year.”

“I think that work ethic, fairness, and giving 100 percent – those are things that they can do in practice and on the field each day and will make these student-athletes successful in everything they pursue in life,” she said. “Our program, and the girls in our program are really special and unique. The talent is unreal.

Every year we have some of the most talented players moving up. And every year, we see some of the hardest workers ever seen.”

Thompson recognizes that being a student-athlete is difficult.

She encourages her players to have a well-balanced approach to their time management.

“It is important to be able to balance studies, which come first and foremost, your school athletics, your club athletics, and also, a social life,” Thompson said. “I think it’s important to have that group and have time with friends.”

In recognition of her athletic accomplishments across her career, Thompson was inducted into the 2021 Athletic Hall of Honor for Allen ISD. “A lot of amazing athletes were honored,” Thompson said. “That was pretty special that I know I put my heart and soul into it and I’m part of that group.”

Thompson’s first coaching job was at Foster High School in the Houston area where she started as a varsity head soccer coach.

“I loved Foster, but I remember showing them videos of the band marching down the halls, the stands at football games and just that atmosphere because there’s nothing like Allen.”

She knew she eventually wanted to make her way back home.

A stop at Ursuline Academy in Dallas earned her three state championships and positioned her for the head job at Allen in 2018.

“There wasn’t a position at Allen when I started at Ursuline, but each year I was in talks, checking in and then four years ago was the perfect time,” she said. “My husband and I had our first child and we were looking to move up here in the suburbs. It all worked out.”

In Thompson’s first year at Allen she took her team to state for

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RUNNING STRONG

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BY KEITH TAYLOR, WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR or the 14th year, runners from around the country gathered outside of Eagle Stadium to participate in the annual Allen Eagle Fun Run and 5K. Despite frigid temperatures during the early morning hours, more than 1,500 participants enjoyed vendor booths and a stretching session before running in either the one-mile fun run or the USA Track and Field sanctioned five-kilometer race.

“After last year’s ‘virtual’ race because of COVID, we were extremely pleased to have more than 3,000 sign up for this year’s run,” said Stacy Polk, the race coordinator for the Foundation For Allen Schools.

“Entrants had four options to participate: the fun run; the 5K; a sleep-in option; or virtual participation,” she said. “The sleepin option means what it says: You sign up for the race, but you spend the morning sleeping in. The virtual option allows you to count a run or walk around the neighborhood as being part of the race.” The run is hosted by the Foundation and Allen ISD Council of PTAs with Credit Union of Texas as the title sponsor.

This year’s event was dedicated to David Noll, the Allen ISD Trustee who passed away in October 2021.

“David loved Allen ISD, and I know that he cherished the time that he spent interacting with our students and staff,” said Dr. Robin Bullock, Superintendent of Schools. “Allen lost a community supporter who wanted the best for our schools and town.”

Besides serving as a School Board Trustee, he was a dedicated member and volunteer for many organizations across the Allen ISD community.

“David was an instrumental leader each year as part of our Race Management Team,” Polk said. “David was our Race Course lead and looked forward to the Eagle Run each year with excitement and his excitement was infectious.”

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the event, Polk said. Hundreds of students, district staff, and community members make the Eagle Run possible.

“Our volunteers come from several areas,” Polk said. “The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) helps with parking and other issues. The high school’s Junior ROTC members help organize the runs on race day. Then, we have the football team and cheerleaders who are here to interact with the crowd and help with race chores. We even had the Ereckson Middle School cheerleaders help by handing out post-race refreshments.”

She said volunteers from individual district campuses as well as regular citizens take part in preparations and the event.

“It takes about 250 volunteers to pull off the event, so we welcome any and all community partners to help out,” said Polk.

Additionally, the City of Allen assists in several ways. “Of course, the police are on hand at the event,” she said. “Parks and Recreation help us with the course layout and the Fire Department is available if we need it. It really is a community-wide team effort.”

The race benefits the Foundation, and all proceeds directly fund classroom grants, teacher and student scholarships, Allen PTA programs, and campus projects.

VIDEO FEATURE! Allen Eagle Run

SIGNING DAY ON FEBRUARY 2, 2022, ALLEN HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATED 49 STUDENT ATHLETES SIGNING TO PLAY AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL WITH 43 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES REPRESENTED. CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR ALLEN EAGLES!

VIDEO FEATURE!

Allen HS Athletics College Signing Day

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EXPERIENCING CULTURES SHARING HERITAGE

RICH IN TRADITIONS

MULTICULTURAL EVENTS TIE CAMPUS COMMUNITIES TOGETHER

BY KEITH TAYLOR, WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

A

s varied as the cultures they represent, campuses across Allen ISD hold annual multicultural or heritage events to draw the members of their communities closer together. Some events feature a week-long celebration while others are a day-long event or a night-time occasion. Regardless of the venue, they all come down to offering students the opportunity to experience cultures other than their own and provide an opportunity to share their heritage with their peers.

The following are three examples of elementary celebrations out of many held for all grades in the district.

Boon Elementary “Our event started as a single night in 2016,” said Boon Elementary School’s Michelle Cline. “It started with PTA members who spearheaded the event and it’s changed a little through the years. During the day, we ask the students to wear traditional apparel and we have a little parade in the morning so they can show off their cultural attire.”

The night-time event is the main attraction, though, with student performances, traditional dress and pre-packaged food as well as informational booths hosted by volunteer parents and their students.

Each year, the campus also holds a special project for all students, whether they participate in the event activities or not.

“To make sure everyone feels involved, each year we create a diversity quilt,” Cline said. We send out squares to each family to decorate. The kids love seeing their squares on the wall.

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It’s really cute to see what comes back. This year we had 24 countries represented.”

The event also helps bring the campus community closer together.

“You have to be here on the event night to feel the energy, the smiles and the atmosphere,” she said. “It’s just really wonderful.

It’s a great way for our families to connect.”

Norton Elementary Norton has a different option with a day-long campus event that is largely led by student participants, said Laura De La Borda, the campus English as a Second Language instructor.

Marion Elementary

“The event has been going on for about 15 years,” she said. “It started with parents coming in and hosting booths. Sometimes we had dancers come in and students would bring a sample of food from representative countries. It started out small, but we always had a parade.”

For Marion Principal Ulyanna Payne, this year’s night-time event is the first step in a foundation to reestablish a popular event sidelined for two years by COVID.

However, this year’s PTA-sponsored event, the first in two years, may not have been the largest, but it was extremely successful thanks to dedicated students.

“This year’s celebration was much smaller than in the past as we learn how to reintroduce the event,” she said. “Next year, we are going to take what we learned this year and see if we can make it bigger. Our community missed not having the event and not being able to sample the cultures represented on our campus.”

“What we love at Norton is that it is very student-driven,” said Karen Szeryk, the school’s AIM instructor. “For example, teachers would volunteer to teach their second graders a cultural dance. We also featured student-created games and shadow plays written by students. That’s what makes it unique at Norton.”

Being smaller did not take away from the fun and creativity of the night-time event coinciding with the campus PTA’s Book Fair.

“It was pretty fabulous. Several of our parents brought traditional apparel and they had us dress up – whether we wanted to or not,” she said laughing. “It was a lot of fun.”

The event is organized by a volunteer committee with members who also are PTA members.

“The charm of our event is how involved the children are in telling the stories of their culture,” she said. “Even though many were born here in the U.S., they still love talking about their backgrounds and heritages.”

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De La Borda said the student games were a welcome addition.

“This is the first time we had the games created by the students and I think that was the highlight of the event,” she said. “The students loved all the games and the fifth-grade students actually ran the games with parent volunteers.”

Although the school has considered an evening event, organizers believe the day-time effort allows more student involvement.

“Also, I know teachers love the event. They love learning about the cultures and seeing the shows and seeing the kids perform.”

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ual credit offers an extraordinary opportunity for students to experience college while in high school. This is an experience that Evan Ardelean, 16, said is valuable and has provided him a wealth of knowledge and opportunity. Ardelean plans to graduate this May with his Associate of Applied Science degree in Information Systems Cybersecurity from Collin College.

When Ardelean was in the eighth grade, he and his parents decided that he should try homeschooling for high school along with Collin College dual credit classes.

“I knew about Collin College because my dad had gone here, and I always liked community colleges. There’s a lot more sense of community here, and the professors are more engaged with the students,” Ardelean said.

His mother, Carrie Stein, said she knew that her son would thrive in a community college setting because he could have a connection with the professors and focus exclusively on academics. Although he’s young, Ardelean said he never felt out of place at Collin.

“Everyone, whether it’s the professors or the students, is here for a purpose — to learn — and I found a lot of comfort in that,” he said.

Ardelean took dual credit classes at the Collin College Technical Campus in Allen, the Frisco Campus, and the Plano Campus.

Many of his favorite Collin College experiences revolve around his interactions with his professors.

“They care about the subject matter and want students to learn,” Ardelean said. “They just teach in such an engaging way that I can remember almost everything from the classes, and it makes me excited to learn more.”

Ardelean said he felt like his contributions in class were valued, and the professors took extra time to engage with him and other students. The dual credit classes allowed him to experience

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actual college coursework and develop good study habits before starting college.

“At Collin, the lessons were dynamic; it’s like how water flows,” he said. “It carves its own path and if something obstructs its way, it must find a way around it. It’s a dynamic way of teaching.”

According to the Texas Education Agency, students who take dual credit courses transition more smoothly from high school to college, earn credits that are transferable to any Texas public college or university, save money on tuition, and complete a postsecondary degree faster.

Ardelean will earn his associate degree this May and intended to transfer to a four-year university. However, when he learned about the Collin College Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cybersecurity, he decided to earn his bachelor’s degree at the college.

“He has made this his academic home,” Stein said. “Collin has had such an impact on him that he has even talked about coming back and teaching at the college.”

Ardelean has enjoyed his time at Collin College and encourages high school students to consider taking dual credit courses.

“Dual credit classes allow you to work with professors with realworld knowledge who expand your horizons, and you get the college experience earlier,” Ardelean said.

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TRAILBLAZING SCIENTIFIC ADVENTURE

BY J. RENEE CUNNINGHAM COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING SPECIALIST

T

he newly established Allen High School Science Club took its first trailblazing adventure to the Texas A&M University Regional Science Bowl. This fast-paced quiz format competition is based on knowledge of science facts. The event is a significant competition for many senior level science teams from schools across the state. Most participating schools engage in robust year-long prep programs leading up to this event. Allen’s fledgling team of students, with just one week of formal preparation, impressively landed in the top five of over 30 Dallas schools, and top ten in the state at this year’s competition.

“I was blown away at some of the things that these kids knew,” said second year Allen High School Teacher Rachel Chisholm.

Chisholm is the Forensic Science team lead and sponsor for the Science Club and Science Fair.

The club’s adventure began with fliers that were posted in the science classrooms. “I simply asked if anyone was interested in being an officer and helping to develop it to show up to the first meeting,“ said Chisholm.

Those strategically placed flyers attracted seniors Howard Ding and Victor Nguyen. This new club opened an opportunity for them to share their passion and curiosity for science in a fun and casual social environment. “The students came in and we picked positions. They wrote the bylaws and created this club,”

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said Chisholm.

That meeting installed Ding and Nguyen as the club’s first co-presidents. The other club officers include senior Joshua McPherson, junior Sanjana Kishore, sophomore Advik Ravichandran and sophomore Rafay Azeem. Since establishing the club the students have done exactly what they envisioned.

Every other Monday they do something fun for the campus.

“They have done things like egg drops or pulling DNA out of strawberries,” said Chisholm.

The co-presidents soon discovered that members of the club wanted further academic challenges as many already took part in rigorous UIL academic competitions and AP level courses.

They took the initiative to utilize interest surveys to focus on

“THEY IMMEDIATELY REGROUPED AND DEVELOPED A GAME PLAN. THEY MET RIGHT AFTER THE FIRST ROUND ZOOM, BRAINSTORMED, AND PRODUCED A PLAN OF HOW TO DO BETTER.” how to best support the students’ passion.

“We saw a collective opportunity to offer students competitive science programs in Quiz Bowl and Olympiad Team programs,” said Ding. These programs focus on fostering a collaborative environment among students to solve complex problems.

Ding and Nguyen decided to set their sights on a target, the National Science Bowl. The Bowl is a series of math and science competitions among teams of high school students throughout the country. Texas A&M University was one of 65 host sites for this year’s Science Bowl regional competitions.

“Our two presidents have been really strong this year,” said Chisholm. “They emailed Texas A&M themselves. They were late to the deadline, but still wanted to try to participate.” Their diligent effort earned Allen admission into the bowl.

Next, they recruited and selected club members to participate.

The team consisted of four Allen sophomores whose interests ranged from business to artificial intelligence. Warith Rahman, Dan (Tinh-Dan) Ha, Alexander Tandon, Anthony Xu were ready and excited to soar into the unknown. “The concept of this competition intrigued me, so I decided to try it out,” said Ha The quiz bowl, which normally takes place in person, took place virtually on Saturday, Feb. 5, following ice storms just days before. The college freshman level question-and-answer categories included biology, chemistry, earth and space science, energy, mathematics, and physics.

Instead of competing directly against another school, each team answered a minimum of 18 questions. Each correct answer garnered an opportunity to earn a bonus question which allowed a team to answer up to 36 questions in each round.

There were six elimination rounds in the competition.

“I did not have high expectations. I knew other schools had a full year of different preparatory competitions that led to this one.

We did not have that infrastructure in place. I expected us to do the practice rounds and be eliminated,” said Chisholm.

“The first round was not our best round. The teams have seven seconds to answer each question. This round was the first time the team of students had ever met all together. The timeline from their signing up for the team to approval for the competition was about one week.” The students used textbook resources, sample questions and individual meetings with Chisholm to prepare for the Quiz Bowl, but they never met together as a team.

“They immediately regrouped and developed a game plan.

They met right after the first round Zoom, brainstormed, and produced a plan of how to do better.” They had two practice rounds to figure out their strategy before they faced the first elimination round. Chisholm said, “When we made the first round, the excitement and joy was like, wow, we are really doing this thing! “ Competing against senior level groups from numerous high schools throughout the region, the young team used their intelligence, quick thinking, and ingenuity to power through to the Round of 12 teams, the third Round Elimination.

When asked if he would do it again, team member Warith Rahman said, “Of course! I really enjoyed the competition itself, and the intense timing of it made it even more enjoyable and thrilling. I also really liked working with Mrs. Chisholm, Anthony, Dan, and Alex this year to advance as far as we could, and I’m definitely ready to participate more in the future to see how far we can get Allen in this competition.”

“We are proud of our students and their accomplishments this year in the Texas A&M Regional Science Quiz Bowl. Our team was able to compete with other competitive schools such as St. Mark’s and Plano East. We are laying the groundwork for the future of a successful program aimed at bringing academic prestige to Allen,” said Ding.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS OVER THE PAST 100+ YEARS, INCREDIBLE STUDENTS HAVE GRADUATED FROM ALLEN ISD. TAKE A LOOK AT HOW SOME OF OUR ALUMNI ARE SOARING. DRU TAYLOR

Class of 2003

After graduating from AHS, Dru moved to Germany for two years and became fluent in German.

He graduated from BYU-Idaho with a Bachelor of Science in Corporate Finance, and graduated with his MBA from Idaho State University in 2012. Dru worked for the Department of Homeland Security and the US Securities and Exchange Commission in the field of IT and Information Security. He is currently the Chief Information Officer for Cache Valley Bank in Utah, where he lives with his wife Liz and three children Jay, Sam, and Max.

NISHA KALAYNPUR

Class of 2012

Nisha attended UT San Antonio and is in her third year of medical school at UT Health San Antonio. She is considering a career in Pediatrics or Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is passionate about fertility medicine and has worked in an In Vitro Lab, as well as clinic coordinator for the medical school’s student-run free clinic system which provides care for underserved populations in the local community.

SETH HALE

Class of 2005

Seth graduated from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 2016 after completing his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Baylor University and a Master of Medical Science degree from the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

He joined Advanced Pediatrics in Colorado in 2019. Seth is certified in pediatric advanced life support and neonatal resuscitation. He lives in Colorado with his wife Margaret and children Augustus and Francis.

MADDIE SZERYK

Class of 2014

Maddie graduated from AHS as the first Allen Eagle golfer to win an individual State Championship. She also led her team to two team State Championships (2012, 2014). She continued her successful golf career at Texas A&M where she set the NCAA career record with 91 of par or better. She holds the SEC record with 32 career top 10 tournament finishes, Texas A&M’s first three-time All-American and first four-time All-SEC honoree, and holds nine additional records as an Aggie golfer. Upon graduation, Maddie played professional golf on the Symetra Tour until this past December when she earned her LPGA Tour card for the 2022 season.

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