The ACE soccer team participated in an Austin city league where they finished first place in their division with a record of 13 wins and 2 losses. With perseverance and high IQ, the team thrived off capitalizing on mistakes made and reliable teamwork. The team started in the ACE program put together by Coach Guzman and Coach Dalton.  To be on the team, athletes had to displayed integrity, athleticism, and pride. "We weren't perfect," Coach Guzman stated, "but we were able to create a family where we relied on and supported one another."  Coach Guzman also noted that the team learned to have fun during games which is the most important part of any sport. The ACE soccer team took home the gold trophy by winning a championship match with a score of 7-1. By playing as a team and learning not to be selfish, Coach Guzman and Coach Dalton started a franchise of young individuals who excel in the classroom and have been educated in teamwork on the field.

DVISD Special Education Administrative Assistant, Marylou Villalovos, recently took time out of her busy schedule to share her experiences as a freshman student at Crystal City High School in 1969.  Crystal City was the site of a famous Hispanic civil rights demonstration.  Ms. Villalovos spoke to Coach Driscoll and Coach Dunn's sixth period US History class.  She was one of 200 Mexican American students who walked out in December of 1969 after the school board failed to address the grievances of the Mexican American majority.  Marylou also shared her experiences as a migrant laborer and how she met Cesar Chavez. Thank you to Ms. Villalovos for making US History come alive through your story .

Ms. Amanda Thorne, English Language Arts teacher at Del Valle Middle School, is being awarded a $1,000 grant by The Junior League of Austin. The grant will help Ms. Thorne's students build fluency levels through the use of iPods and audiobooks that will be provided for the classroom through the grant money.  Thank you Ms. Thorne for working to help your students be more successful in the classroom by providing new learning opportunities and experiences!

Congratulations to DVHS senior Culinary Art student, Yaretzi Campos  on winning the 2013 Favorite Recipe Development Competition from Sodexo and DVISD Child Nutrition. Not only will her winning recipe, " Yaretzi's Chicken Chipotle Tostada" be featured in the cafeteria, she also won a $250 scholarship. Yaretzi's dish was chosen over four other dishes also prepared by our culinary practicum students.

Congratulations to the Popham Pandas Battle of the Books Team for winning 1st Place at the Second Annual DVISD Battle of the Books Competition!  Held Thursday, May 2nd, 2013 at Ojeda Middle School Gym.

On Friday, May 3, Congressman Lloyd Doggett held a private reception in the LBJ Suite of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building for Del Valle Senior Chris Alfaro.  Chris is the first known Del Valle student to be accepted to West Point, a prestigious United States Military Academy .  West Point Cadets graduate as a commissioned leaders serving as officers in the United States Army.  The reception included a light breakfast and tour of the LBJ suite, photo opportunities and friendly conversation with the Congressman, and a tour for the Alfaro family of the Secret Service department in the Federal Building.

The Proud Cardinal Band marched in the Battle of Flowers parade in downtown San Antonio.  The parade route is 2.3 miles long.  The band is happy to report that they received a first place ribbon in the "out if towns " band category!  This is the second time the band has received this award and the second time the band marched in the parade.

Each year, Humanities Texas presents awards recognizing and encouraging excellence in teaching the humanities in Texas schools.  Del Valle Middle School celebrates and congratulates Emily Anderson on her success for winning the Outstanding Teacher of the Humanities Awards.  The award recognizes exemplary K-12 teachers and each year, eleven teachers are selected to receive a $5,000 cash award and an additional $500 for their respective schools to purchase humanities-based instructional materials.  Ms. Anderson's students participated in the Speak up for Children who Can't Speak for Themselves.  DVMS students took the challenge and didn't speak for the day in a pledge to hear about Child Labor, Children's Nutrition and other challenges that children face in our country every day.  Ms. Anderson and her students have raised money through the Trick or Treat UNICEF to get clean water for the world and this past Saturday she took some of her students to participate in the Texas State History Quiz Show.  Ms. Anderson in piloting a Summer Reading Series this summer at DVMS for all children of the community and for all ages not just DVMS students.

Congratulations to Popham Elementary School for the 2012-13 National Student Council Excellence Award which recognizes outstanding achievement conducted by student councils in the areas of community service, student leadership, citizenship and school spirit.

On the weekend of April 20, 15 of the Students Helping Our Community club trekked up to the beautiful Walter E Long Park at 7:30 in the morning to help out with Diva Dash. The Diva Dash is an event that promotes fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Students helped pass out water at water stops along the course, recruited teams to participate in the tug-of-war, and even jumped in the tug of war competitions to help keep the teams balanced! Most got a thorough workout by the end of the event! During this event, most students seved for 5-6 hours individually, and the SHOC club contributed a total of 69 student volunteer hours.

Members of the DVHS Wind Ensemble performed in the Region 18 UIL Concert and Sightreading Contest Wednesday, April 10th and scored a First Division (Superior) rating, the highest rating possible, on their stage performance.  One of the three judges concluded his comments by stating:  "Thank you for a fine performance today - beautiful sounds.  I really enjoyed hearing your band."  After the Wind Ensemble completed their performance, the UIL Executive Secretary personally came and congratulated the ensemble on their outstanding performance.

Membership in the DVHS Wind Ensemble is gained through an audition process conducted in October.  Members are expected to perform Grades IV - V wind band literature from the state adopted Prescribed Music List and participate in all UIL and TMEA sponsored activities. The band's 2013 contest program included the following selections: Dalarna Shuffle  (By: Jay Dawson), A Hymn for the Lost and the Living (By:  Eric Ewazen), and Prelude, Siciliano & Rondo (By: Malcolm Arnold).

Congratulations to Del Valle Elementary 5th grader, Maria Serrano who made it to the regional level in Sodexo's 3rd annual Future Chefs national culinary competition! The theme for this year's competition was "Healthy Salad Recipes." Finalists prepared and presented their creations to a panel of judges who assessed the recipes on the following criteria: originality, taste, presentation, kid friendliness and use of healthy ingredients. Maria's winning recipe "Barley Black Bean and Avocado Salad" was one of 27 regional winners, selected from a pool of 107 winning recipes from school districts all around the country. Her prize is a 7" engraved Kindle Fire HD with assorted accessories and a $100 Amazon gift card! Maria's recipe will also be featured at the April 23rd school board dinner, as well as on the May elementary district-wide lunch menu as a vegetable side item. Del Valle students joined more than 1,750 other students at 943 Sodexo-served school sites in 28 states nationally in this fun and educational challenge.

Opportunity Center teacher, Walter Burrough, has been awarded a Fellowship At The Siemens STEM Institute.  He will have the opportunity to participate in the 2013 Siemens STEM Institute Program at Discovery Communications headquarters located outside of Washington D.C. Mr. Burrough will be exposed to leading scientists, thought-leaders, personalities and innovators whose work across STEM disciplines shape and define our world today.  His time as a Fellow will be filled with guest speakers at the forefront of STEM, field trips to leading institutions where Fellows will observe real-world applications of STEM subject matter, and opportunities for networking and collaborating with peers from across the nation.  Mr. Burrough is very excited to participate in the STEM Institute and hopes to come back with lots of ideas, for increasing the relevance of science lessons that he can share with other teachers.

Del Valle High School Senior, Jose Estrada, is the winner of a brand new iPad for simply filling out his TAFSA application.  The High School's Principal, Mr. Lipton, challenged every senior to fill out a TAFSA application before March 31.  Everyone with a completed application would be entered to win a drawing where a free iPad would be given away .  Jose Estrada was the lucky winner of that competition.  Jose plans to use his new iPad at the University of Texas.  Congratulations, Jose!

Del Valle's "Students Helping Our  C ommunity" Club volunteered at the TEDxYouth Conference in Austin at Westlake High School.  After ensuring a smooth welcome to all by directing traffic, welcoming guests, and reassuring parents, our SHOC stars were fortunate enough to hear a wide array of presenters that shared "ideas worth spreading" about Technology, Education, and Design. These speakers truly had "ideas worth spreading:" new concepts of beauty, stories of resilience that ignited poetry, new ways to perceive the world and those around us, the power of tiny atoms interacting and even 6th graders' compelling engineering solutions to water conservation in "future city" designs, 3D printing and art and music.  SHOC g reatly appre ciates Ms. Erin Taber's leadership in granting students this unique, inspiring opportunity! The opportunities for ea ch of the students that attended are true to the motto of the conference- LIMITLESS!

The Del Valle Middle School Sweethearts went to Showtime Internationals Nationals Competition for the first time this spring. This year was Showtime Internationals 40 ^th Anniversary. It was held at the beautiful Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas on March 16 ^th and 17 ^th . They entered 4 routines and came home with three 1 ^st place trophies. The Del Valle MS Sweethearts are National Champions in Kick, Novelty, and Military. They placed 4 ^th in Pom. The Sweethearts consist of 16 dancers from 7 ^th and 8 ^th grade: Captain Katherine Gomez, 1 ^st Lt. Kiara Valenzuela, 2 ^nd Lt. Belen Chavez and Andrea Gutierrez, Social Officers Michelle McCook and Genesis Mendez, Line Members Clarissa Cortinas, Ayanna Garcia, Sierra Gonzales, Bethany Kornacki, Alejandra Plazola, Peyton Reyes, Davionne Rhodes, Karina Rosas, Ashley Maxson, and Amaya Oliveros.The Sweethearts are under the direction of Amanda Roe.

Sarah Ware, an art enthusiast, came to Del Valle High School and purchased the artwork of two students, Savanah Frye and Alondra Moncezuma. Ms. Ware had seen the work while it was on display at the airport for the Hands at Work exhibit. The drawings will now be on permanent display at the office of Jim Kennedy, the Director of Allied Arts in Oklahoma. This is such an exciting event for these students, to have sold their artwork. It is amplified by the fact that their work will be on permanent display at such a wonderful arts foundation.  Savanah Frye will also have "Ebbing" (a 24x36" self portrait in mixed media) on display at the Austin Museum of Art (700 Congress Ave.) during the month of April. Her work was one of 73 chosen out of over 1,250 pieces submitted in the Austin area. The show is called Ahead of Their Time, an exhibition of advanced high school students' work. The opening event and awards ceremony will be April 6^th from 2-4pm at AMoA.

"

On Friday, March 22, the Your News Now (YNN) channel featured the Del Valle ISD annual Sodexo Healthy Salad Challenge for students.  The story takes a look at the way this competition is being used to help kids eat and live healtheir.  To see all the students recipies, click HERE .

Click HERE for the story from YNN.

Photo courtesy of YNN.com

Del Valle High School basketball player, Alicia Flores-Mays, signed a National Letter of Intent with Mary Hardin Baylor University. The signing took place on Wednesday, March 20, in the Del Valle High School library from 8:20 - 8:30 a.m.  Alicia has been recognized for her outstanding participation in the Del Valle Women's Basketball Program and is excited to play for MHBU. Congratulations Alicia!

Several Creedmoor Elementary students submitted their artwork for the City of Austin's "Turn Around - Don't Drown" poster contest and won.   Three posters created by the three first place winners were featured in a flood safety insert in the Wednesday, March 20, Austin American-Statesman.  Winners also attended a recognition event on March 24. Prizes included gift cards, a ride on Lady Bird Lake in a swift water rescue boat with an emergency responder, a weather radio from Midland Radio, and an opportunity to tour the National Weather Service's New Braunfels forecasting center. The Creedmoor student winners were as follows: Vanessa Martinez, 1st Place for Grades 3-5; Alexandra Espinoza, 3rd Place for Grades 1-2; and Vanesa Vergara, 4th Place for Grades 1-2.

The Johnson and Johnson School Health Leadership program is a fellowship program designed to facilitate the empowerment and further development of school nurses. The program includes an intensive six-day leadership training Institute, online learning, enduring change plans and the development of community-based health promotion initiatives. Topics covered include: school leadership, advocacy, diversity, school nurse leadership, community empowerment model, effective written communication, grant writing and team building. The district's Health Services Director Mrs. Molly Garcia is one of four school nurses representing the Austin Region Team selected for participation. The application process was lengthy and the selection process was highly competitive. The Austin Region Team is one of the 40% of applicants awarded the fellowship. Congratulations Mrs. Garcia!

The top contenders at Del Valle Middle School's science fair advanced to the Austin Energy Regional Science Festival, one of Texas' largest regional science fairs with almost 3,000 students from 3rd through 12th grade. Del Valle Middle School had 27 projects and 40 students represented at the festival. Set on providing positive and rigorous learning environments, Del Valle Middle School held its first school-wide science fair competition in the fall of 2012. As part of project development, students worked to identify a problem, form a hypothesis, and test their hypothesis using evidence-based data and observations.

Science fairs involve project-based learning, which promotes higher level thinking skills, active inquiry, ownership of learning, and the application of conceptual, scientific knowledge. Science fairs also support development of skills essential in a 21st century world. Excited about future fairs, Del Valle Middle School has set as its goal the advancement of students to the State level competition in San Antonio.

The board recognized Kiara Valenzuela and Katherine Gomez for receiving the Superintendent's Award at the Regional Science Festival competition. The topic of their project was determining the impact of multitasking on performance. The Board also recognized their teacher, Mrs. Rebecca Miller, for her support and guidance throughout the project development as well as Principal Ruth Vail and Assistant Principals Jennifer Garcia and James Cruz. Congratulations all!

The School Board recognized Coach Marvin Hall for winning his 500th career basketball game with a 74 to 69 victory over the Travis Rebels on December 14, 2012. Coach Hall began his career in 1981 as an 8th grade basketball coach at Bastrop ISD and was named the head coach 2 years later. Coach Hall assumed the head position at Del Valle in 1991. Along with his 500th win another highlight of his career was his 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 teams reached the regional finals. Many of Coach Hall's former players have had the opportunity to continue their careers at the collegiate level. Congratulations Coach Hall!

The first public testimony given by a Del Valle High School student was made to the House Committee on Corrections.  The student, Arturo Alviter Balderrama, is a member of a group led by Dr. Travis, a Texas State Social Work professor, and Jennifer Carreon of Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.  Arturo was speaking on HB 144 which emphasizes the importance of providing treatment over incarceration to youth who offend while under the use of drugs.

Click HERE for the full story on The Statesman.

Del Valle ISD is proud to announce employee Scott Wille was named one of Gale's second annual Are You a Librarian Superhero? contest winners! The contest recognizes the often heroic efforts put forth by librarians around the country. Hundreds of nominations were received from fellow librarians, library patrons, students and school administrators highlighting a super librarian who makes a real difference for their library and community.

Scott Wille is the Director of the Del Valle ISD Child Development Center. Before becoming a school librarian, Scott taught kindergarten, first, and second grades for nine years. His colleagues describe him as friendly, organized, creative, energetic, generous, and inspiring to others. According to one co-worker, "Mr. Wille works tirelessly to ensure the students at our school gain a love of learning."

To see Mr. Wille's entire comic stip click HERE or on one of the photos below.

Photos courtesy of Gale/Cengage Learning.

On Thursday, March 7, the American-Statesman sports section featured an interview with senior forward, Briana Salazar, from the Del Valle High School varsity girls' soccer team.  The interview takes a closer look at Briana as a player and as a person.

Click HERE  for the story from The Statesman.

Photo courtesy of Statesman.com

On March 5, Del Valle High School students hosted a Gen TX Go Center booth during the SxSW education conference.The booth helped address common questions and concerns that students face when transitioning from high school to college or career. Thanks to the GenTX GO Center students for showcasing DVHS's model for successfully making college and career access available to all.

Hillcrest Elementary teacher, Nick Solis, was honored at a celebration for receiving an award from the Zarrow Foundation at the University of Texas at Austin.  Mr. Solis, a fourth grade teacher, was nominated and awarded for all of his efforts in preparing future teachers by serving as a cooperating teacher on campus.  Mr. Solis has seen many future educators come through his classroom, and continues to serve as a mentor, year after year.

On Thursday Feb 21, Baty A.C.E. students and teachers participated in their own version of the popular Harlem Shake viral videos that have been populating Youtube recently.  Over 150 students from K-5 and approximately 10 teachers collaborated on the project in an effort to create an activity that included every A.C.E. student regardless of grade level.  Students also learned about viral videos.  The Baty video was filmed by Dustin Warden and  directed and edited by Miguel Benavides.  Special Thanks to 4-H and Creative Action for providing costumes!

On February 23, the Popham Elementary Panda Explorers ACE Ballet Folklorico dancers competed in the Balies De Mi Tierra competition held at Round Rock High School.   The team won first division for the beginner elementary large group dance .   Congratulations to all who participated !

The Dailey Middle School (DMS) Science Olympiad team, a majority of which are sixth graders, made history by being youngest team of attendees who competed for their first time in the Regional Science Olympiad Tournament that also qualified for the state tournament.  The DMS students placed second overall winning eight out of 14 possible team medals at the tournament.  The team competed against both public and private schools from across the state with team members ranging from seventh to ninth grade.DMS students are scheduled to compete in May at the Science Olympiad State Tournament held at Texas A&M University.

Medal winners include: Adonis Birch-Franklin and Anna Lane (Rocks & Minerals), Ashlee Sanford & Makayla Webber (Dynamic Planet Glaciers), Ivan Paz & Juan Banuelos (Mousetrap Vehicles), Makayla Webber & Krystal McGill (Roto EggDrop), Yessenia Saldierna & Robert Martinez (Texas Wildflowers), Ivan Paz & Juan Banuelos (Helicopters), Adonis Birch-Franklin, Grace Brooks & Juan Banuelos (Picture This), Alejandra Mendoza & Khameyah Taylor (Science CrimeBusters). Congratulations to all participants!

Click HERE for more information from KVUE News.

Former DVISD student, Shanay Washington, "retired" from playing on the Baylor women's basketball team. Washington suffers from a knee injury that occurred last season. She is currently serving as a special assistant for Kim Mulkey , Baylor head coach.

Click HERE for more information from The Statesman.

Photo courtesy of Statesman.com

Del Valle High School students have engaged in multiple video conferences during the month of February that enhance their understand of world-wide events.  To start, students Stephanie Garcia, Brian Munoz, Jacob Shaw, and Chris Alfaro also had the honor to participate on a select national panel in February that revisited the Cuban Missile Crisis fifty years later.  The video conference included conversation about what the future holds for global peace and security with special guest speaker, Joesph Cirincione, an expert on Nuclear Weapons.  The DVHS ACE Step Team and Hip Hop Club also celebrated the month of February by honoring Black History with a video conference with Akoma Ntoso Cultural Centers (ANCC) in Ghana.  The ANCC video conference was a part of a Black History Month feature directed by the ACE program, Del Valle Debate and World Class Schools.  Finally, o n February 22, debate students asked questions about the foreign services and the situation in Pakistan during a video conference that included the Chief of Staff for the US Embassy in Pakistan, Dr. Scott Kohmehl.

National Conference About Pakistan:
http://video.magpi.net/videos/video/638/

Video Conference With Ghana, Africa:
http://edutube.esc13.net/videos/IPVCR/Feb2013/Dance_20Feb13.wmv

Cuban Missile Crisis National Conference:
http://video.magpi.net/videos/video/633/

The Students Helping Our Community (SHOC)  club had an impressive early turnout at the Austin Livestrong Marathon. Sixteen student volunteers, accompanied by Mr. Jurado and Ms. Black downtown to support Del Valle's own "staff-letes!" Ms. Chotain, Mr. Oskooi, Ms. Schroeder, and Ms. Singer ran their hardest in support of the Livestrong Foundation's cancer research. The SHOC volunteers served double-duties: they held signs in support of the runners as they approached the finish line that read "It's not your legs giving out, it's your mind giving up!" "Run like there are ZOMBIES behind you," and "We love our Del Valle Teachers!" SHOC volunteers also helped ensure that everyone knew how to properly dispose of food, trash, and recyclables as members of the "green team."

At the beginning of each legislative session, a number of schools are invited to bring a small representative group of their students along with their teachers with current exceptional applications of educational technology. A group of DVHS students with teacher sponsors Steven Alves and Cynthia Miller, spent a day visiting the legislature and speaking with lawmakers about the use of Project Share ePortfolios for our Senior Project. Other schools participated, highlighting the use of technology in their schools including: Amarillo ISD, Coleman ISD, Cop-pell ISD, Denton ISD, Irving ISD, Klein ISD, Ysleta ISD, San Saba ISD, Pasadena Vir-tual School, Texas Virtual Academy (via remote), East Austin College Prep, and the Texas School for the Deaf.

DVHS was also recently filmed by TEA highling the use of Project Share ePortfolios as a platform for students to use for the Senior Pro-ject. DVHS students and staff were featured in this video. Thank you to English IV teacher, Dorothy Meiberg and DVISD Director of Technology, Kathy Edgar for their efforts in this project. The video is posted to Project Share here:  http://projectsharetexas.org/resource/project-share-gateway-21st-century-learning

On Saturday, February 9, members of the Proud Cardinal Band competed in the UIL Solo and Ensemble Contest. The competitors had a very rewarding day with several Cardinal Band members earning a First Division, or Superior Rating, at the competition. The First Division rating is the highest rating you can earn and these students will be moving forward to the State competition at the University of Texas on Memorial Day!  Congratulations to all! 

The Del Valle ISD Child Development Center has been announced as an H-E-B 2013 Excellence in Education Early Childhood Award Finalist.  The Early Childhood Award complements H-E-B's Read 3 Campaign, an early childhood literacy initiative aimed at educating parents and caregivers about the importance of reading to children a minimum of three times per week, and to provide families with the tools and resources they need to prepare their youngsters for school.  H-E-B will present the Del Valle Child Development Center, and four other regional finalists, with a $5,000 check to help enhance or create new kinder readiness programs that prepare children to enter Kindergarten socially and academically ready to learn. As a finalist, the Child Development Center also has the opportunity to be awarded an additional $25,000 grant if selected as the statewide winner during the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards ceremony on May 3 at the Hilton in Austin.

Del Valle High School football player, Josh Cleveland, signed a National Letter of Intent with Navarro College.  The signing took place on Wednesday, February 6, in the Del Valle High School library from 12:45 - 1:00 p.m.  Josh has been recognized for 1,725 All Purpose Yards, 22 Touch Downs, 15-5A Offensive MVP, All Centex 1^st Team, Max Emfinger All American, and Max Emfinger All American Game MVP.  Congratulations Josh!

Sophomore Jacob Shaw and Senior Angel Cruz- Sanchez took third place at the 66th annual Texas Youth and Government State Competition.  This dynamic duo were Appeallate Lawyers.  Jacob Shawa and Angel-Cruz Sanchez faced seven grueling rounds of appeals. All rounds took place in the Texas Supreme Court building.  Thirty DVHS students competed at this conference and fifteen parents watched their students argue. This marks the second National Competition that Jacob and Angel have qualified for this year. They are going the the NCFL Tournament in Philadelphia, May 25-26, 2013. They have also been selected to compete in the Texas High School Moot Court State Moot Court Championship May 4, 2013, and International Criminal Court High School Championships during April in Pittsburgh, Pa.  Congratulations to Jacob Shaw and Angel- Cruz Sanchez for a truly outstanding three days of arguing.

Governor Rick Perry declared January as School Board Recognition Month. The board was recognized for their dedication to Del Valle ISD students and the DV community. Each campus presented board members with either an individual gift or poster/banner. The 2013 theme was Rising to New Heights.

The DVISD School Board recognized two Del Valle ISD cafeterias for their excellence in our NSF Food and Physical Safety Audits. NSF is an independent, not-for-profit organization which certifies products and standards of food, water, and consumer goods. Sodexo has contracted with NSF to ensure the quality of facilities and products.

Each year NSF conducts random audits of Del Valle's kitchen facilities. This year they choose 5 campuses to conduct both Food Safety and Physical safety audits. Scoring a 100% on an NSF is a great accomplishment. This accomplishment gives the kitchen a Gold Rating and two Del Valle kitchens were awarded Gold this year!

The two campuses that scored a 100% are:

• Child Nutrition Safety Coordinator: Chef Marianne Desiderio

• Smith Elementary - 100% Food Safety

  • Manager: Nancy Garza

  • Employees: Maria Apodaca, Alesia Rodriguez, Victoria de la Cruz, Lorena Gutierrez Jesus Ramirez

• Hornsby Elementary - 100% Food Safety, 100% Physical Safety

  • Manager: Gracie Tijerina

  • Employees: Julia Melchor, Celia Torres, Rosalinda Alvarado, Santiago Gaytan, Andrea Ramos, Anna Duenez

Congratulations to all of these staff members and campuses for their dedication and commitment to serving Del Valle ISD students.

The Del Valle High School UIL journalism team competed at the Round Rock Invitational Academic Tournament on Saturday, January 26. Jessica Bolanos earned 6th place in editorial writing with over 60 students competing in the event . The next UIL meet will be February 23 at Westwood High School.

State Representative, Donna Howard, attended Mr. Carl Saxon's seventh grade Pre-AP Texas History class as a guest speaker.  Representative Howard discussed the state budget and took questions from a well prepared student audience.  Mr. Saxon's class presented Representative Howard with a customized picture and a gift card for taking the time from her extremely busy schedule to speak to the students.

On Saturday, January 12, during the Austin National Catholic Forensics League (NCFL) District Tournament, Del Valle Senior Angel Cruz Sanchez and his debate partner Sophomore Jacob Shaw advanced to the NCFL Grand National Tournament after defeating a team from A&M Consolidated High School in their final round. This will be Angel Cruz Sanchez's second time to qualify for this event since qualifying as a sophomore in 2011. Congratulations to both Angel and Jacob as they begin a busy season of competitions including their trip to the NCFL Grand National Tournament in Philadelphia from May 24-23.

Over the Christmas break Del Valle senior, Josh Cleveland, was invited to participate in the Max Emfinger All American Football Game.  Although Josh only carried the ball 6 times in the game he  was voted the All-American Bowl Game MVP by the Coaches by the end of the game. 

Click HERE for more information from Max Emfinger.

Coach Marvin Hall made history this December by winning his 500th basketball game.  The Del Valle Cardinal's boys basketball team may have trailed at intermission but came back strong after halftime to capture the lead.  With only 30 seconds left in the game, the crowd rose to a standing ovation for Coach Hall. In attendance were family members and school board members, players, assitant coaches and school administration from past to present.  Congratulations Coach Hall, you have been an invaluable member of the Del Valle community and coaching staff for over 20 years!

Senior students at Del Valle High School completed their Season of Sharing Toy Drive benefiting students of Del Valle Elementary, Popham Elementary, Baty Elementary and SAFEPLACE Austin.  Students and parents that received gifts from the toy drive were very appreciative of the gifts that the seniors provided and relieved with the extra help during the holiday season.  Thank you to everyone that helped make this event such a success!

The Junior League of Austin-Coats for Kids program and Del Valle ISD partnered for the sixth year in a row to host a separate distribution location at Del Valle Elementary where DVISD families could bring their children to select a winter own coat- free of charge! This year over 2,620 warm winter coats were given to DVISD students and their siblings.  The event would not have been possible without the 252 staff and community members that volunteered a combined 656.5 hours to help sort, set-up and distribute coats for the event.  Pictured below is a small sample of the volunteers that contributed to the success of the event.  A warm thank you to all of the volunteers that made this event possible!

Dailey Middle School had two teams compete on Saturday, December 8, in the First Lego League Qualifier competitions held at Lehman High School. The Dailey Trackers Boys Team recieved t he Inspiration Core Values Award and the Girls Team recieved the Gracious Professionalism Core Values Award.  Coach David Hellman, Jessica Miller, and Erika Rico are very proud of their teams!

Del Valle ISD had 5 teams compete on Saturday, December 1, in the First Lego League Qualifier competitions held at Del Valle High School and Connally High School. Congratulations to all- all of the robotics students are winners by participating in this enriching experience. Many, many thanks for the dedication and support of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities within ACE 21^st CCLC and for DVISD.

The Hillcrest Elementary School "Robo Maniacs" recieved the DVHS Qualifier Champions Award for Robot Run/Design, Project Presentation, and Core Values.  Coaches Steven Muniz & Lauren Ivey-Muniz are already preparing for the February 3 Regional competition.  The Creedmoor Elementary School "Creedmoor Cougars Custom Programmers" recieved the CHS Professionalism Core Values Award.  Coach Normando Garcia and Rebecca Vinson are moving forward to the February 3 Regional competition. The Popham Elementary School "Panda Explorers" recieved the DVHS Inspiration Core Values Award.  Way to go Coach Nabor Tellez and Cheyenne Koerth!

On Sunday, December 12, Del Valle High School seniors and teachers volunteered to run in the annual Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) Jingle Bell 5k.  Below is a picture of the runners with senior A. Cruz, representing one of the many victims of drinking and driving.  In total, there were over 50 students that volunteered for the timed run. Thank you to all who came to support MADD.

High school senior Government students were asked to complete a collaborative group project on various interest groups focusing on how these groups influence and affect public policy items in Texas. After completing a presentation on PETA, Chain-Free Austin and the Austin Humane Society, Mr. Ramirez, Ms. Monsterio , Mr. Saldirena , Ms. Daiz , and Mr. Palacios were prompted to volunteer with Animal Control of Bastrop County. Participating with the Bastrop non-profit organization helped the students to further understand the topic of their research.

Del Valle Middle School held their fi rst annual school wide Science Fair competition on November 15, from 7:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. The DVMS Science Fair utilized the benefits of p roject-based learning, higher level thinking skills, active inquiry, ownership of student learning and the opportunity to apply firsthand what students learn in class. DVMS students set a district record with over 560 projects! The Austin Regional Fest, a city wide science fair o rganization) was so impressed by the accomplishment that they sent a photographer to document the success.

The DVISD CDC was recently awarded the distinguished National Association of Child-Care (NAC) Accreditation status by the NAC Professionals Association for Early Learning Leaders. Childcare centers are judged based on six criteria: administration support, family engagement, health and safety standards, curriculum, staff-student interactions, and classroom health and safety procedures. The DVISD CDC worked with the Workforce Solutions of Central Texas to earn this prestigious award. The CDC will maintain NAC Accreditation until 2014. Congratulations!

On Sunday, November 11, the Del Valle High School Proud Cardinal Band had the honor of leading Austin's annual Veterans Day Parade.  The DVHS Band lead the processional up Congress Avenue to the Texas State Capitol where the students performed as the featured musical entertainment before the memorial ceremony commenced.  Thank you to the Cardinal Band for honoring the men and women that have served our country proudly!

In less than a month, the Del Valle High School's Students Helping Our Community (SHOC) Club has collectively contributed 577 hours of volunteer time enriching the community.  During the Creedmoor Community OctoberFest, SHOC members operated 8 game booths, raising money to enhance the Creedmoor Community Center.  SHOC Club members also worked to raise awareness for Suicide Prevention during their participation in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention' s "Out of the Darkness" walk at the Texas State Capitol.  Club members have an ongoing project in the Cardinal Garden where students have been weeding, planting, fertilizing, creating hoop houses for the raised beds, and continue to tend to the needs of the garden every Wednesday during lunch.  Thank you SHOC members for making a difference in the Del Valle community!

On Wednesday, October 10, Margaret Delgado was awarded the Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD) Teacher of the Year Award. Each year the CLD recognizes members that are outstanding teachers who consistently provide quality instruction to students with learning disabilities. This year's presenter spoke of her commitment to providing students with engaging, meaningful lessons, using research-based methods, and collaborating with other educators to help students succeed.

Texas Book Festival's Reading Rock Stars-a dynamic program in which selected authors from across the country are invited to share their literary works with students in economically disadvantaged public schools including this year's featured school, Del Valle I.S.D's Baty Elementary; and children's book authors Jon Scieszka (Guys Read: The Sports Pages ), Adam Rex (Cold Cereal), Tim Green (Unstoppable) , Duncan Tonatiuh (Diego Rivera: His World and Ours), and James Luna (Runaway Piggy/El Cochinito Fugitivo).

The video below shows author James Luna reading "The Runaway Piggy" with the assistance of Baty Pre-K and Kindergarten students.

Texas Governor Rick Perry has proclaimed October 2012 Principals Month in Texas in honor of the vital role campus administrators play in ensuring that all children have access to a rigorous, well-rounded, and high-quality education. All campus principals were honored at the board meeting for their unwavering commitment to creating learning environments where all students achieve their full potential. 

Pictured back row left to right: TJ Moreno, Creedmoor Elementary; Scott Wille, Child Development Center; Ray Macias, Opportunity Center; Dr. Mary Bashara, Hornsby-Dunlap Elementary; Ray Prentice, Hillcrest Elementary; Dr. Joyce Bannerot, Popham Elementary; Dr. TJ Dilworth, Dailey Middle School; David Williams, Ojeda Middle School; and Scott Lipton, Del Valle High School. 

Pictured front row left to right: Dr. Priscilla Canales, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction; Susanna Woody, DVISD School Board Vice-President; Frances Maldonado, Smith Elementary, Laurie Jurado, Gilbert Elementary; Bertha Hernandez, Del Valle Elementary; Mary Patterson, Baty Elementary; Ruth Vail, Del Valle Middle School; and Dr. Kelly K. Crook, Superintendent. 

The Texas Association of School Personnel Administrators announced that Governor Rick Perry proclaimed Wednesday, October 10, 2012 as Texas Education Human Resources Day. This is the third year for the proclamation which honors the important contributions made by school personnel who work in the human resources field. Del Valle ISD joined other local education agencies inrecognizing the hard work and commitment demonstrated by the DVISD Human Resources staff all year long to maintain a quality workforce that provides an excellent education for all students.

Pictured from left to right: Jill Dworsky, Susanna Woody, Anna Ramirez, Victoria Resech, Toni Mendez, Vania Esquivel, Isidra Carrizales, and Janie Abshier, Dr. Kelly Crook

As Del Valle ISD gears up for the 2012 Red Ribbon week we would like to recognize the Dailey Middle School Timberwolves who were just notified they are the middle school/high school national Grand Prize winners of the POSITIVEPROMOTIONS, Inc. 2011 Red Ribbon Week contest. 

From student council representatives, student volunteers, dance and cheer teams to special guest presenters of various Austin area organizations, Dailey Middle School celebrated the real meaning of the event all week long and made a pledge to continue healthy living throughout their lifetimes.   Thanks Timberwolves for showing the nation how we Texans celebrate RedRibbon Week!

The Proud Cardinal Band competed in the Hendrickson Marching Contest on Saturday, September 29, at Hendrickson Hawk Stadium.  The Band received first place in their division and were awarded the following caption awards: Best Music, Best Visual, and Best Percussion.  Band Director, Tom Guyton, noted that a rain shower starting during their show did not hinder the student's performance.  Way to go Proud Cardinal Band!

Popham is celebrating National Bully Prevention Month by participating in a variety of activities within the classrooms and school wide during the month of October. On Friday, October 5th, students, parents and school personnel all wore orange to show that Popham Elementary is United Against Bullying. Guidance lessons are focusing on enhancing good social skills by following the five basic rules be kind, be safe, be honest, be respectful and be responsible. Students are also creating anti-bullying and friendship building posters that will be displayed through the halls of Popham. The classroom teachers were given a calendar with daily tips or discussion starters to share with their students on what to do if you are being bullied, ways to stop bullying, how to handle peer pressure and protecting themselves from being cyber bullied.

The Del Valle High School athletics program hosted the Tri-County Middle School Cross Country Meet on Wednesday, October 3. Coach Steven Alves, Middle School Coordinator, and High School Cross Country Coaches Randy Hodges and Leigh Ann Sedam, were responsible for hosting the meet held at the high school campus.  Nine middle schools from Bastrop ISD, Hutto ISD, Elgin ISD, Manor ISD and Del Valle ISD attended, with approximately 300 middle school participants running at the meet.  At the end of the day, the event was a huge success and several Del Valle ISD middle school runners went home with medals.

The Del Valle High School football program has partnered with the Travis County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Advocacy Project to promote the second annual October Domestic Violence Awareness campaign.  The campaign slogan is "Football is a Contact Sport.  Love Shouldn't Be."  During this campaign, all DVHS varsity football players will be given a purple ribbon to display on their helmets during the entire month of October.  For more information, assistance, or advice with domestic violence, please call 800-376-HOPE or visit: http://www.texasadvocacyproject.org .

Del Valle ISD received the highest rating of 5 Stars from the Comptroller's Financial Allocation Study of Texas (FAST). DVISD was the only school district in the Central Texas region to receive the highest rating and is one of only 45 school districts and charter schools in the state of Texas to receive a total of five stars out of the one to five measure.

The 2009 Texas Legislature directed the Texas Comptroller's office to "identify school districts and campuses that use resource allocation practices that contribute to high academic achievement and cost-effective operations." In response, the agency released its Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) in December 2010. The Comptroller's Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) examines both academic progress and spending at Texas' school districts and campuses. The FAST rating of one to five stars indicates its success in combining cost-effective spending with the achievement of measurable student academic progress. Five stars reflect the strongest relative academic progress combined with the lowest relative spending.

Superintendent Dr. Kelly K. Crook notes, "We have a lot of challenges in Del Valle ISD and incredibly dedicated staff who do whatever it takes for our students to succeed. On the fiscal side, we try to concentrate our limited funds at the campus level. This means extra hours and effort from everyone, but to us it is worth it. I couldn't be prouder for our staff, our Board of Trustees, our parents, and our community!" 

On September 5, the Child Development Center at Del Valle ISD was named a four star provider during the Texas Rising Star Provider certification process.  Child care providers who are certified as a four star provider have exceeded the state standards for child care licensing and performed at an exceptional level, providing only the highest quality of childcare.  The Del Valle ISD Child Development Center is thrilled with the exemplary rating!

Josh Cleveland, Del Valle High School senior running back, was featured in the Statesman as a player "who is making big plays" while on the game field.  Click the picture below for more information.

Students from Baty and Hillcrest Elementary were treated to a kick off pep rally for the 2012-2013 Food In Tummies (FIT) program provided by The Junior League of Austin.  The FIT program ensures that students have a backpack full of nutritional foods to take home every Friday during the school year.  The pep rallies helped explain the process and included kid friendly nutritional information in the form of amusing skits.  Thanks to the Junior League of Austin for providing such a wonderful program!

Congratulations to Aretha Simon, an employee in the Del Valle ISD Transportation Department, who was recognized by Mike Barnes as the KVUE "Mom of the Week."

Video courtesy of KVUE.com

The Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court Our Lady of the Hills #2415, donated complete, individually packaged, supply sets for over 72 elementary students.  The donation was split between Hillcrest Elementary School and Smith Elementary School.  Thank you, Catholic Daughters of America, for assisting our students with their back to school supply needs!

The University of Texas and Texas A&M University joined hands to honor Del Valle High School Class of 2013 Top Ten Percent.  Principal Scott Lipton reminded Cardinals of the importance of this achievement and thanked them for leading DVHS into even greater accomplishments.

Del Valle ISD Superintendent, Dr. Kelly Crook talks about what to expect during the 2012-2013 school year with Fox 7 News.  Dr. Crook's interview includes statements about what to anticipate this year, district growth, staff preparation for curriculum alignment and STAR testing, and Parent Involvement on campuses.

Video courtesy of KTBC - Fox 7 News

The Del Valle ISD Community PTA awarded Jamie R. LaPorte, Crystal Salas-Valles, and Emily L. Orner an Extracurricular Activities Scholarship.  Thank you Del Valle ISD Community PTA for continuing to assist Del Valle ISD students.  On hand to honor students were selection committee members Roy Woody, Susanna Woody, Maria Brooks, Richard Franklin, Roland Ayala and Teyla Woody.

This year, elementary schools in the Del Valle ISD were thrilled to receive a donation of over $8,000 worth of back-to-school supplies from For The Children. The campuses have already started organizing and distributing the supplies to their students. Thank you, For The Children, for reaching out to our educational community.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) donated approximately $200 worth of school supplies for the 2012-2013 school year.  The supplies will ensure that DVISD students have everything they need to be successful during another new and exciting school year.  Thanks AMD for your continuous help and support!