Brook Bylines by Malcolm Clayton

BROOK BYLINES March 21, 2011 Volume 11, Issue 14

CBHS Calendar Mar 21 School Resumes AP Exam Sign Up Class of 2012 Booster Club Meeting Mar 22 Baseball - Home Softball - Away Boys Soccer - Home Girls Soccer - Away Mar 24 One Act Play Performance Water Polo Tournament NHS Popcorn, Pickle and Bake Sale Celebrities Booster Club Meeting Mar 25 Baseball - Home Softball - Away Track Meet - Away Tennis Tournament - Away Best Buddies Spring Fling Celebrities Bake Sale

Dessert Theater The Clear Brook Players present The Diary of Anne Frank Thursday, March 24 6:30pm Tickets: $10 One Act Play and Desserts

Flip Flops The weather has been beautiful and spring break is just around the corner! It is time to pull out the flip flops! These are great for around the pool, at the beach or just about anywhere. The PTSA is selling Clear Brook Spirit Flip Flops for $10 a pair. Show your school spirit every where you go. We have all sizes. Please see the order form on page 16, or bring $10 to the PTSA Lunch and Popcorn Sale this Wednesday March 23.

Mar 26 Drumline Contest Mar 29 Baseball - Away Softball - Home Water Polo - Home Mar 31 LATE ARRIVAL Apr 1 Baseball - Away Softball - Away Track - Away Drumline Contest Apr 2 Project Grad Garage Sale Apr 4 Class of 2012 Booster Club Meeting Golf BBQ Lunch Sales JETS Meeting Apr 5 Baseball - Away Softball - Home Apr 22 School Holiday June 4 Graduation

Help! Clothing Needed Recently there was a very bad apartment fire in Seabrook. There are MANY CCISD families that have lost everything. If you have any clothes that you could donate, please take them to the Seabrook Community Center behind Marios on 146. Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clothing is of the highest request, but adult clothes are needed, too!

Drug Awareness Program Clear Springs High School PTSA Parent/Adult only Drug Program What do items such as aerosol cans, tootsie-rolls, candy necklaces, plastic bags, cotton balls, and hair "scrunchies" have in common? What does the salvia in our front yard have to do with substance abuse? What does 4:20 signify to most parents, educators, and the community? Come find out at Clear Springs High School on Monday, March 21st at 7:30 p.m. in school cafeteria. This is a PARENT/ADULT only presentation

Table of Contents School News

page 2

CCISD Budget Information

page 3

BPA & AP Information

page 4

Debate and PLW

page 5

Senior Information

page 6

Sports

pages 7-9

PTSA News

page 10

Class of 2012 Booster Club

page 11

SAT Review Course

page 12

Reusable Mixed Bags

page 13

Brick Order Forms PTSA Flip Flop Order Form

page 14-15 page 16

TAKS Tutorials Clear Brook High School is currently conducting TAKS Tutorials on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. The attached informational poster provides you with detailed information regarding which objectives are taught each session. English TAKS tutorials are held in Room 405, Math TAKS Tutorials in Room 414, and Science TAKS tutorials in Room 118. For those students who normally ride the bus to school, transportation is provided to the nearest elementary or intermediate school closest to their home. Students must have a tutorial pass and their school ID to board the bus at 4:30 PM.

CBHS TAKS Camps CBHS TAKS Camps will be held on Saturday, April 9th and Saturday, April 16th from 8AM to 1 PM. Get your last minute “brush up” so you can be successful on the TAKS tests and have fun while doing it! Door prizes will be awarded and all participants will enjoy pizza for lunch – FREE OF CHARGE! Transportation will be provided to students who normally ride the bus to school. Reserve those dates on your calendar and hope to see you there.

SAT Review Courses Below is the schedule for the SAT Review Courses being held at CBHS during the Spring semester. Please check with the counseling office for a registration form or see page 12. There will be four review sessions held on the following dates for a cost of $75. ⁭ OPTION 3 for May 7th SAT Test Date: Mon. & Tues., April 18th & 19th 3-6 PM; Sat., April 23rd Practice Test 9AM-2 PM OPTION 4 for Jun. 4th SAT Test Date: Mon. & Tues., May 22nd & 23rd 3-6 PM; Sat., May 28th Practice Test 9AM-2 PM

New Grading System for CCISD The CCISD Board approved a new letter grade range scale on December 10, 2010. The adoption of this new letter grade scale removes the "D" and expands the "C" to a grade range scale of 70 - 79. This change is reflected in the legend on this progress report and will not impact grade point values at the high school level. Reasons to support the change will positively impact our students as they are competing nationally for scholarships opportunities, college applications, and NCAA eligibility requirements.

PTSA needs your help Calling All Parents We're working diligently to create a PTSA Scholarship fund that will provide scholarships to Seniors. The more we make selling Popcorn and BBQ sandwiches, the more students we can help in continuing their education. Could you please look through the list of below sales dates and volunteer for AT LEAST one day and donate drinks for another. The drinks we sell are water, lemonade, tea, cherry lemonade. It's a small effort but brings BIG results. IMMEDIATE NEED Thurs. Apr. 7 - 10:15 to 12:45 p.m. Thurs. Apr. 14 - 10:15 to 12:45 p.m. Wed. May 4 - 10 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. Wed. May 11 - 10 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. Please respond back to Beth Young at "BethTheConnector@gmail.com" for any time or drinks that you can donate. (Questions? Call Beth at 281-460-2175)

UIL Math & Science UIL Practice meet was held at Clear Springs on Saturday, March 8th. Several students placed in the math and science areas: Calculator Applications: 6th for Bao Dinh Science: 4th Dylan Domel-White 6th Franco Naz Math: 6th Dylan Domel-White Good luck to all UIL students when they compete at Brazoswood at the end of March.

Spring Cleaning Garage Sale Project Grad will be having a Garage Sal, on April 2 at the school, and need your help is contributions. Contact Mary Faller at mary@thefallers.com for more information.

Wolverine Basketball All District 24-5A Teams The following Wolverine players were recently named to 245A District Teams: Offensive MVP Fred Richardson First Team Alex Pettigrew Chris Campbell Second Team Spencer Bowman Honorable Mention Drew Byrd Jarek Player Chase Mullen Academic Drew Byrd Darrell Dotson Drew Manning Alex Pettigrew

The Clear Brook Bylines March 21, 2011 - Page 2

WELLNESS and TECHNOLOGY FESTIVAL Date: Location:

FREE, FUN, FAMILY EVENT Sunday, April 10, 2011 Noon – 4:00 Clear Lake Park - Landolt Pavilion (off NASA Parkway)

Volunteer Hours available for Teens & Adults Volunteer Registration: Contact: myrna.baker@christushealth.org Event Highlights: FREE, FUN, FAMILY EVENT * Health screenings by many of our local healthcare providers * Demonstrations of the latest healthcare technologies * Music and local entertainment

Clear Brook Calendar 2010-2011 Late Arrival Day…………………………….....Mar 31 Testing………………………………………......Apr 5 TAKS Testing……………………………....Apr 25-29 Prom…………………………………………..April 30 SAT Testing at Brook…………………………...May 7 Memorial Day (No School)……………….…..May 30 Last Day of School………………………….…..June 2 Graduation……………………………………....June 4 **Dates are subject to change** For the complete CCISD school calendar, please visit the CCISD website at: www.ccisd.net

CCISD Budget News In anticipation of the State reducing its share of educating children of the Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD) by $40-$50 million, CCISD announced a district-wide reorganization on Wednesday. The $9.4 million plan does not call for layoffs. "This has been a lengthy and difficult process, but in the end our employees will have jobs, albeit in different roles or locations. The objective was to creatively absorb costs without directly impacting student performance," said Dee Scott, President of the Board of Trustees. "I caution the public from concluding these positions were not important. The optimal service we have become accustomed to in Clear Creek ISD will be affected." The reorganization began with efficiency planning at the administration and operational levels and then moved to the campus level.



Central Administration Reorganization- The District has eliminated or reassigned 17 positions in Human Resources, Tax Office, Facilities, Maintenance, Operations, Safe a Secure Schools, and Curriculum and Instruction. The school district's administration costs are fewer than half of similar school districts in Texas. The District also reassigned personnel to solely generate revenue through marketing services to other school districts and advertising.  Staffing Guideline Changes- The District has adjusted its staffing guidelines at the campus level. These adjustments do not affect student-to-teacher ratios. High schools will have less assistant principals and secretaries. The number of technology integration specialists and librarians will go from two to one respectively at each high school. At the intermediate schools, technology integration specialists will be shared as is currently in place at the elementary schools. Each high school will continue to have an RN and LVN but will no longer have a nurse assistant. Students-Per-Teacher Ratio- CCISD is not increasing its student-to-teacher ratio. The long-held staffing standard has been 22 students per teacher in grades Kindergarten through 4th and 25 students per teacher in grades 5th through 12th in Texas. In reviewing current student enrollment and teacher allocation, the district has an excess of 109 teachers, essentially keeping class sizes below the state standard. This is no longer affordable. The affected employees will be reassigned or have the opportunity to apply for open positions. Historically, 200 employees either retire or resign every year in Clear Creek ISD. The employees affected by this reorganization will be absorbed through attrition. "I believe the talent and strength of this workforce is what makes CCISD what it is today," said Greg Smith, Superintendent of Schools. "I am confident our employees will transition well into their new roles or locations as this is in the best interest of the children and taxpayers we proudly serve." While this restructuring of the Clear Creek Independent School District will yield $9.4 million in savings over two years, the school district still faces a significant shortfall if the 82nd Legislature moves forward on its plan to cut $9.3-$9.8 billion from public education. "Over the course of the past two years, we have reduced our expenditures by $12 million and today have laid out plans for another $9.4 million. We are at the point where any further reductions will adversely affect the quality of education our children rightfully deserve," said Smith. "It is time for our community to let our lawmakers know that education is a priority and for our lawmakers to utilize all available resources to ensure the viability of public education in Texas." Prior to this reorganization, the District had been recognized by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts for high student achievement and low operating costs. The District earned the highest of five stars on the Financial Allocation Study of Texas (www.fastexas.org). The school district has formed a Citizens Finance Advisory Committee to review existing expenditures and programs. The 53-member committee will make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees in May on how to best meet the budget challenges ahead. For more information on the committee, visit www.ccisd.net The Clear Brook Bylines March 21, 2011 - Page 3

BPA State Conference Congratulations to the following students who competed at the Business Professionals of America State Leadership Conference in Ft. Worth last week. Participants: Samuel Adams and Richard Tang in Financial Analyst Team, Nicholas Kelling and Saraubh Limaye in Computer Animation Team, Richard Tang in Payroll Accounting, Samuel Adams in Fundamentals of Accounting. Advancing to the National competition, which will be held in Washington D.C. on May 4 through 8 was Sam Adams. Congratulations to all for their hard work over the last 4 months.

2010 -2011 Advanced Placement Information Brook students will soon have an opportunity to earn college credits by taking Advanced Placement exams. The AP tests will be given during the weeks of May 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; May 13, 2011. The cost is $57 per test, but students who receive free/reduced lunch may receive a fee waiver that covers all but $9 of the exam fee. AP tests are scored on a scale of 1 - 5, with scores of 3 or higher usually earning three hours of college credit. A score of a 3 or higher also counts as one measure towards the Distinguished Achievement Plan for graduation. Advanced Placement exams will be administered at Clear Brook in either the New Gym or the library, depending upon the size of the testing group. The schedule for Advanced Placement testing is as follows: AM PM May 2 May 3 May 4 May 5 May 6 May 9 May 10 May 11 May 12 May 13

Chemistry Environmental Sci Computer Science A Spanish Language Calculus AB Calculus BC English Literature & Comp (Sr Eng) Latin Vergil US History German Language Biology Music Theory US Government English Language & Comp (Jr Eng) Macroeconomics World History Human Geography Spanish Literature

Psychology Art History Chinese Language & Culture French Literature European History

Studio Art*

Physics B Physics C: Mech French Language Comparative Govt Statistics

Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism

Microeconomics

Advanced Placement exams help students: gain an edge in college preparation; cut costs of college expenses; stand out in the college application process, and broaden intellectual horizons! Students who wish to take Advanced Placement exams should pick up a registration packet from any AP teacher or the Counseling Center, and return it with check or money order to the Counseling Center by March 25, 2011. *May 6th is the deadline to submit the digital portfolio sections to the AP Program, but all work must be completed prior to the submission deadline. The Clear Brook Bylines March 21, 2011 - Page 4

Debate News The wolverine debate team returned from their annual TFA State Debate tournament on March 13th, effectively wrapping up the bulk of their competitive season. At the end of a tiring three day schedule Hunter Bodiford, advancing to the semi-final round in Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, came away with a rank in the top 20 of all state qualifying students. This event stresses the ability of limited preparation time to formulate and deliver speeches over a variety of topics including but not limited to social issues, fiscal discipline, and attitudes toward foreign policy. Of the more than 180 students competing in this event, Hunter Bodiford, along with his other team members, made a great showing for Clear Brook and CCISD at large. Additionally, Rishi Suresh found himself in the double-octo final round of LD Debate, which equated to his being one of the top 32 Lincoln Douglas Debaters in the state of Texas. Rishi was also ranked 37th as one of the best LD speakers at the tournament as he debated the topic, "Resolved: The US is justified in using private military firms abroad to pursue its military objectives." Newcomer to the team, Courtney Hamala, was an honorary attendee at the meet and found herself in the semi-final round of Student Congress as well. Also earning recognition at the state tournament was the team of Dinusha Wijesinghe and Nathan Tamburello who were ranked 24th for speaking style of Public Forum Debate as they engaged in five rounds over the topic, "Resolved: North Korea poses a more serious threat to US national security than Iran." Pictured: Rishi Suresh, Courtney Hamala, and Hunter Bodiford

Project Lead the Way Civil Engineering and Architecture is one of the elective classes offered at Clear Brook that is part of Project Lead The Way. On Friday, Mar. 11, students from the Civil Engineering and Architecture class went on a field trip to visit Studio Red, an architecture firm in Houston. Studio Red also has offices in San Diego and Viet Nam. They primarily design commercial buildings, such as theaters, convention centers, and schools, but they have also designed churches and private residences. Students got to tour the office, see various projects the architects were working on, and learn a little bit about how architects do their job. On the tour, the students learned that Studio Red architects use Autodesk Revit, the same software that is taught in the Civil Engineering and Architecture class. The students also got to hear architects talk about their work with various subjects that the students have explored in class, such as building codes, designing buildings that meet the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs, and green building design. The highlight of the tour, though, was meeting Trung Doan, architect and founder of Studio Red. It was quite an opportunity to have someone like Mr. Doan, an architect and a business owner, take time out of his day to meet with the students. Mr. Doan told the students about the path he took as an immigrant to the United States to get his education and become an architect. He also spoke about the founding of his company and its growth, shared stories about several projects his firm has worked on around the United States, and spoke about the creative challenges of being an architect. Mr. Doan was quite an inspiration and the entire visit was one the students are not likely to forget.

(Studio Red founder, Trung Doan, speaks with Clear Brook students TrĂŠvon Hill, Drew Wiley, and Lawson Yeager)

The Clear Brook Bylines March 21, 2011 - Page 5

Senior Class Activities Principal: Ms. Jennifer Gault Secretary: Ms. Sallie Beattie      

Superintendent Scholars - April 7, 2011 Prom - April 30, 2011 Panoramic Pictures - May 18, 2011 Senior Banquet & Superlatives - May 18, 2011 Senior Awards Night - May 24, 2011 Graduation - June 4, 2011 9:30 am

Project Grad Location Project Grad 2011 will be held at the Main Event just off of I45. Students will check into Project Grad late in the evening on June 4, and be picked-up early the next morning, June 5. Main Event has: bowling, Laser Tag, Billiards and Shuffleboard, Max Flight, Glow-in-the-dark Golf, Motion Theater, Blackjack tables and Texas Hold’em tables. They will provide food throughout the night and donuts & juice in the morning. We are excited about Project Grad returning to this location and feel this will fill all our needs.

Nesting Flamingos Have you been flocked yet? This by far is the most successful and fun fundraiser that Project Grad 2011 has to date. You can contact Shelley Sikes (larrysikey@aol.com), west of I-45, Stefanie Rochelle, east of I-45, they will deliver these beauties to a family of your choice. They pay a removal fee and possibly an insurance premium. Then they can send it on to another family. The flock will nest and rest for 48 hours before moving on. Flock your friends today…..

Mixed Bags The Mix Bags sales were a huge success in November. Project Grad made over $2,500. Wow! We now have the opportunity to order these directly from Mixed Bags Designs, and a portion of every sale goes toward our Project Grad event. Please check out the flyer on page 14 for all the information. Their website is mixedbagsdesigns.com and the CBHS Project Grad 2011 code is 37991. We want to thank Andrea Melton for setting this great fundraiser up for us.

Popcorn Sales During Lunch Project Grad will be selling popcorn during all three lunches this year. We have schedule the following dates for our sales: 4/21 and 5/19. We are seeking volunteers to help with this project. If you are interested please contact Monette or Charles Whitsett at chasw7@sbcglobal.net

From the Senior Handbook Spring Plan of Action *Register for AP tests if appropriate *Carefully evaluate offers of admission and financial aid award letters *Expect to receive admission decision and financial aid offers by mid-April *Notify colleges of intent to enroll by no later that May 1: colleges cannot require (unless admitted as an Early Decision) a deposit or commitment to attend prior to May 1; at this time you must inform every college of your acceptance or rejection to the admission offer and/or financial aid by this date *Send enrollment deposit to the college you will attend

PTSA Scholarship Available CBHS PTSA invites all seniors to apply for our PTSA Scholarships TODAY!! Scholarship application with PTSA membership form is available via the application on Naviance or via Ruth Carocci, Career Specialist. Please return the completed form at your earliest opportunity-your eligibility depends on the entire application being received by the office on or before Friday, April 1, 2011.

The Clear Brook Bylines - March 21, 2011 - Page 6

Lady Wolverine Softball 2011 Schedule Date

Opponent

Site

Time

Mar 22

Brazoswood

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