7
COMMUNITY
BEAR FACTS
NOVEMBER 2019
MAINTENANCE AND RENOVATIONS VIA COLORI: Film & sound on the streets
By Jenny Alvarado
As the school year comes to an end, most people begin thinking about Summer vacation and how they would use this time to relax. This isn’t the case for Jeff DeLisle, the director of maintenance, and the Alief ISD Facilities and Maintenance staff. For them, the Summer break equates time for renovations. The Summer prior to the 2019-2020 school year was a particularly difficult one since there was a substantial amount of work to be done. Initially there are renovations that must be made yearly to maintain each campus. Some require slightly more work than other campuses since they are older. Ranging from 1 to 55 years of age, every campus district-wide undergoes some maintenance. Such things included, upgrading original carpets and floors from various schools and replacing the roof of Miller Intermediate. Furthermore, small scale renovations to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system were made at Albright, Budewig, Olle, and the Ninth Grade Center.
Despite these yearly renovations, the Facilities and Maintenance staff had a larger task at hand; Elsik HVAC renovations. The planning for this project began 2 years prior, while the actual construction began in the Summer of 2019. Before construction could even begin, teachers had to pack up and move their belongings to a different location. Once that was done, the tedious process could begin. Floor protection had to be placed, the ceiling tiles needed to be removed, and then the demolition could begin. Or so they thought. Unfortunately, the HVAC renovations were put behind schedule because of the discovery of a former underground pit that was improperly filled. Additionally, the maintenance staff faced further setbacks by obstacles that were not in any plans. Still, the staff worked 16 hours a day, 7 days a week to complete these renovations. In the end, they installed new machinery, such as air handling units and chillers, to improve the layout and
efficiency. Furthermore, they completed other renovations that were not bond-funded. Such renovations include the district-wide replacement of locks in support of the Security Upgrade Project IV, although this is still an ongoing project. Also, the Ag Barn was improved with additional pens, repaired wood, a new gravel lot, and an extended canopy. As if this was not enough to complete during the Summer, the Maintenance staff had to repair Outley Elementary. Before school let out, there was a fire at the elementary school in May. Despite this unexpected event, the Maintenance staff did not hesitate in repairing the school and bringing it up to standard again. Jeff DeLisle and his staff spent countless hours each and every day to ensure that our school, as well as the rest of the district would be in a suitable condition for students to learn in. Many may not realize the work that goes into maintaining our schools the way they are, but it takes an immense effort to do so.
COMING UP @ HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL Yearbook picture makeups for both seniors and underclassmen will be held on December 5 from 10:15am-11:45am in the north library.
November 18
December 6
HOSA Day @Toyota Center Speech and Debate 8am-2pm @UT Austin
November 19
December 7 AP Study Skills 2:30pm-4:30pm Speech and Debate @UT Austin Alief Honor Band AudiNovember 11 tions( MS & HS) Veterans Day Lunch 4:45pm- 9pm December 9 11am-12:30pm 2019 EOC Retest 7am November 14 UH Lunch Visit 10:58am-12:38pm
November 15
November 20
Texas A&M Lunch College Visit 10am-12pm
November 21
FBLA Induction Ceremony Speech and Debate @Katy Taylor November 22 TXST Technical College Blood Drive Campus Visit 8am-2pm 6:30am-2pm Food Frenzy Full Sail Univerisity Visit 10:58am-12:38pm 7am-2:30pm
November 16 Speech & Debate @Katy Taylor Fall Leadership Conference 8am-12pm MCJROTC Ball 2019 6pm-12am Swimming & Diving PRELIMS 12pm-1pm
December 3
December 10 2019 EOC Retest Choir Concert 6pm-7:15pm
7am
December 11 2019 EOC Retest
7am
December 12 2019 EOC Retest
7am
December 13
2019 EOC Retest 7am Holocaust Museaum Trip Debate 8am-2pm Speech and @Jersey Village AP Study Skills 2:30pm-4:30pm December 14 Speech and Debate December 4 @Jersey Village Above and Beyond 7am-3pm 3pm-4pm ACT
By Jackelin Gutierrez
Via Colori is an event where artists from all ages can create and display their artwork in downtown City Hall Houston. The event is taking place on November 23 from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and on November 24 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. where tickets range from $7 to $40. Money collected by the festival helps fund health and educational services for children with hearing loss through The Center for Hearing and Speech. Students and teachers from the school are able to participate in the event by submitting their own artwork, and if it gets approved, they are able to create their chalk artwork in downtown Houston. “I just know that a bunch
of people in my class are doing it and it’s like some kind of street art,” said junior, Kailynn Valera. AP art students decided to participate in the event and follow the film and sound theme. “What I did for Via Colori was basically this old film tape and in little squares I put like old movies or very iconic movies that people would know,” said senior Rosali Chavez. The event includes live music and plenty of vendors where a person could buy food from. “When we got there, there were all these artists, like they range from ages, so they could be really old or really young,” said senior Blossom Omeje, “You can walk around and see all the art, and it’s so nice.”
ALIEF LEARNING LABS By Valerie Cerritos
Action Based Learning (ABL) is academic learning using purposeful movement. It utilizes the natural link between the brain and the body to maximize learning. Studies have shown that when kids move, learning improves. Alief took it upon their hands by putting it into action setting up the labs in classrooms and it has shown a big shift in the academic performance. For example in the few campuses where it has been applied like in Crossroads High School, it has shown better behavior throughout the day lowering stress throughout the campus. The labs have
improved the attentiveness of each and every student they are ready to learn from the get go of things making the time in each class not only well used but as well as being a more free and creative at the moment due to the fact that the labs are a series of progressions, each designed to prepare the brain for learning. It has impacted all the students in a very positive way because is such a big change in the typical desk arrangements to a more open and free learning environment that has been helping. The ABL labs have helped many throughout the few schools that have put it in motion.
