News/Points of Pride

DVHS Varsity Football Team Wins District!

Congratulations to the 2009-2010 Del Valle High School Varsity Football Team for being named District 17 4A District Champs! They ended their season 9-1. This is the first district championship for the team since 1967. Congratulations to Head Coach Courtney Wash, his team, and the players who did "Whatever It Takes" to win as a team!

DVHS Senior Selected to Participate in Investigate Geosciences Fall Weekend Program at Texas A&M University.

Congratulations to Senior Jhermaine Mcvea upon his selection to participate in the Investigate Geosciences Fall Weekend Program at Texas A&M University. Dr. Sonia Garcia of TAMU's College of Geosciences has announced Jhermaine is one of 50 high school seniors accepted for this very exceptional program which includes weekend residency designed to introduce students to the field of geosciences which includes majors such as atmospheric sciences, geology & geophysics, environmental programs, and geography through a carefully tailored curriculum Jhermaine, along with 49 other seniors from across the nation, will attend classes, tour labs, meet with professors, advisors and students and experience college life at Aggieland. The weekend will close with students attending the TAMU vs. Baylor football game at Kyle Field. Jhermaine has just recently received notice of acceptance to The University of North Texas. He is preparing to enter a scientific field of study.

Del Valle ISD and Badgerdog LPI Highlighted in News.

Badgerdog Literary Publishing, Inc. is a district-wide partner with Del Valle ISD. They provide writers for Del Valle schools to help teach students how to develop their writing skills. They also hold creative writing workshops for our student writers and even publish students' works. Hillcrest Elementary Principal Sara Guerra and Badgerdog President Melanie Moore were recently featured on News 8 Austin: http://www.news8austin.com/shared/video/video_pop.asp?destlist=72788 . Thank you Badgerdog for the opportunities you provide Del Valle ISD students!  Below are links to the Book Festival activities.  Channel 8 in-studio: http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/Default.asp?SecID=278&ArID=256949&addvid=72788&&

Student's Poem Published on Badgerdog Website.

Jesus Lopez a 4^th grader at Hillcrest Elementary School has been participating in the Badgerdog program this school year. His Halloween poem was selected to be published on the badgerdog website, http://www.badgerdog.org/badgerblog/ . Hillcrest is very proud of Jesus accomplishments in writing this year.

Adelaida Olivares honored with $25,000 Milken Award.

Adelaida Olivares, principal of the Freshman Academy at Del Valle High School, thought Gov. Rick Perry, Commissioner of Education Robert Scott and Superintendent Bernard Blanchard were coming to her campus on Thursday to salute the school for earning a Recognized rating from the state. It's true that the officials were pleased to see that the school had earned the state's second highest rating but they actually came to the campus because of Olivares.

During a morning assembly, Olivares got the surprise of her life when she learned that she is a recipient of the 2009 Milken Educator Award. The prestigious award carries with it a cash prize of $25,000, which Olivares can spend on anything she wishes. Many past Texas recipients of the award have used the money to further their own education or that of their children or to make a down payment on a house.

(Video of the surprise and her speech: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/multimedia/players/brightcove.html?bcpid=1459162514&bclid=1461295911&bctid=45950344001 )

She is one of only 50 educators in the country to receive the award this year. This is the 23 rd year the Milken Family Foundation of California has recognized educators by honoring them in front of large student assemblies and by providing them with unrestricted cash prizes.

Dubbed "the Oscars of teaching" by Teacher Magazine, the Milken Educator Awards were conceived by Lowell Milken, chairman of the Milken Family Foundation, to recognize the importance of outstanding educators and encourage talented young people to enter the teaching profession. He said, "Milken Educators represent the best of what the American teaching profession is and can be."

The awards alternate each year between elementary and secondary educators. Since first presented in 1987 to 12 exemplary California teachers, the Milken Educator Awards program is now the nation's largest teacher recognition program having honored more than 2,400 educators from coast to coast with over $60 million.

The educators never know in advance that they are under consideration for the award.

Olivares, the daughter of migrant farm workers, was selected for the award because in her short 10-year career, she has already earned a reputation as an educator's educator, dedicated to bringing out the best in her teachers, her students, their parents and school volunteers. She cares fervently about the students. Her passion to provide them with the best education possible provides infectious inspiration to her teachers. "Adelaida Olivares is an inspiration to us all. She is living proof that one person can make a difference," Scott said.

Olivares joined Del Valle right out of college as a bilingual kindergarten teacher. By age 28, the district had named her principal of Ojeda Junior High School. After two years of success in that job, Olivares was named principal of the Freshman Academy, which is a school within Del Valle High School. Before the creation of the ninth grade center, 45 percent of the high school freshmen had failed a class after the first semester. With the steps Olivares has taken, that rate has dropped to 19 percent.

One of those steps involved creating a mandatory freshman orientation for students and parents. She did so because she realized that both students and parents did not understand the system of awarding course credits in high school. The first year she held the orientation, she offered 17 different sessions so people could attend whenever it fit their schedule. Orientation is part of her Pathways to Success program, which connects the school, the students and the parents to the success of each child. This program also helps students learn organizational skills and teaches them how to keep track of their assignments and grades.

Because she is bilingual, she is also able to speak to many families in their home language, which makes them feel more comfortable when they are at school. She has a strong relationship with the families because she has moved up with the students as they have advanced. She has now worked in elementary, middle and high schools. One colleague says, "Students work hard for her because they love her and won't let her down." She feels the same way about the students.  

"By shining a national spotlight on these exceptional people," Milken said, "the Milken Educator Awards send a powerful message of the critical role that talented teachers play in preparing young people for a bright future."  Olivares will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the Milken Educator Forum where she will receive her award. Congratulations Ms. Olivares!!!!

Del Valle Middle School honored as Best Practice for Middle School Social Studies by TEA.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) Best Practices Clearinghouse recently honored Del Valle Middle School for their best practices in middle school social studies. The purpose of the Clearinghouse is to provide a centralized location where campuses and districts can share best practices. The Best Practices Clearinghouse features a bank of approximately 40 best practice summaries collected from campuses, districts, and charter schools that are consistently high performing or that have documented improvement in student performance and/or campus and district operations. The best practice designation is based on an action research framework in which campuses and districts have: (1) identified an area for improvement; (2) researched and implemented an intervention; and (3) analyzed pre-post and trend data to evaluate and document effectiveness. Reflecting this framework, the summaries provide a set of strategies, tools, and resources used by the campus or district to address a particular goal or area identified for improvement. The summaries include evidence of effectiveness, a summary of procedures involved in implementing the practice, and lessons learned. Del Valle Middle School's summary can be viewed at: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/bestprac/summaries/Del_ValleMS_BestPractice_9-30-09.pdf . Congratulations Del Valle Middle School!

DVHS G-Force Students Attend Fall Retreat in Leakey, Texas.

The Del Valle High School G-Force gathered at HEBUTT Youth Foundation Camp in Leakey, Texas for a fall retreat of recreation and training of new members of the G-Force and renewal of the DVHS's mission to "close the educational gaps in Texas by 2015."  The 215 mile bus trip (one way) was well worth the ride.  Fifty students from grades 10-12 boarded the bus on Friday, Oct. 2nd with grip, bedroll and a ton of courage.  Some students were returning; most were new to Comanche Outpost, the most remote of HEB's campsites on the Frio Rio in Real County.  Deep in the canyon near Blue Hole, the G-Force made camp and began a weekend of camaraderie, teamwork, conflict resolution and resolution to return undaunted to accomplish the G-Force's mission.  The breathtaking views, natural surroundings of the Texas Hill Country, isolation and freedom from cell phone service made for the perfect setting.  Add this to sand volleyball, tireless teenagers, sand volleyball, canyon hikes, fishing in the Frio, the outdoor aromas of pork ribs, chicken, catch of the day by C. C. Hostetter and beef briskets on the grill, and Del Valle High School has a team of empowered G-Force members who are working together and playing together to drive Del Valle High School to the top.  College and Career Counselor and G-Force Advisor Sarah Mabry, Dr. Mike Mabry, Melissa Rohrbrough, Andrew Zuniga, Senior Counselor Lara Gueguen and Byron Gueguen and Ms. Marie Hernandez with DVISD Transportation Dept. were troopers for this exciting weekend of training and renewal.

Del Valle High School to participate in Global Debates on Climate Change.

Event is one of hundreds taking place at high schools worldwide.

Del Valle High School announced its participation in the UN Foundation's Global Debates program, which challenges high school students from around the world to think critically about pressing global issues.  This fall they will focus their discussions and actions on the intersection of poverty and climate change.  With the UN's next round of climate negotiations this December, it is more important than ever to mobilize a global push for a new international agreement to combat climate change.

DVHS will host a public debate on this critical topic, Oct. 22, at 7:30 a.m with high schools from Moscow, Russia, Georgia, and several other parts of the world.  Teams of two will argue each side of the debate topic which challenges students to take a stand on the following:  When it cannot do both, the United Nations should prioritize poverty alleviation over combating climate change.  The debate will be held before students and teachers in both high schools.  Debates will be videotaped and submitted to the United Nations Foundation

"Students at Del Valle High School are coming up with creative approaches to combat some of the world's biggest problems," said Kaitlin Barry, Campus Outreach Director with the United Nations Foundation. "In order to tackle deep-rooted issues such as poverty and climate change, we need to look at them from every angle-the fresh perspective that each school brings is tremendously valuable.  We look forward to the actions each student takes to implement real change in their communities."

As a result of their participation in the Global Debates, Del Valle High School will be highlighted throughout the UN Foundation website and be eligible to win prizes that include a $2,000 UN Foundation school grant and a trip to the Open Society Institute's Youth Forum in the Netherlands.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies

Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies were held on September 23, 2009 at the Del Valle Opportunity Center and the Ninth Grade Academy.

2009-2010 G-Force Team

Pictured is Del Valle High School 's 2009-2010 G-Force team with counselor Sarah Mabry .  The "Force" is a mighty army committed to "close the educational gaps in Texas by 2015."  The G-Force Team Captains in the small er group are left to right back row:

Back Row from left to right:

Team 4    Captain Mary Frances Granados, '10

Team 3     Captain Jerree Favors, '10

G-Force Commanding Officer CO Rian Rendon, '11

Team 2 Captain Bah Thierno, '10

Recruiting Officer Rodney "Fleetfoot" Lee, '10

Team 6 Captain Shyla Nelson, '11

Front Row from left to right :

Team 7 Captain  Elizabeth Hernandez, '10

G-Force Executive Officer   XO Brynn Vasquez, '10

Team 1   Captain Lindsey Braun, '10

Youth Pathways Program Engages Ojeda Students.

Extraordinary things are happening and have happened at Ojeda Middle School.  According to Principal Timica Patton, "We have included 170 students in the Youth Pathways Program in the last year.  Earl Maxwell, our Youth Pathways Liaison was nominated for and awarded the Mentor of the Year Award for the entire district." Established six years ago, Youth Pathways is a non-profit organization dedicated to engaging middle and high school students with educational and community professionals and resources.

"We are very pleased that the program has made it possible for students to meet professionals in the community and learn the social skills and guidelines associated with many professions.  In the beginning, student participants were invited volunteers, but as the first few programs were conducted, word spread fast and we began making announcements about upcoming programs.  Students began to ask for more programs on their own and elected to come and participate," Patton said.

The students find the speakers and the expertly crafted curriculum very motivating.  Not only have they stayed engaged with their studies, but attendance is growing, thoughts about college opportunities are more frequent and general discipline is higher. "We have been truly inspired by the benefits of the Youth Pathways Program," Patton added. "In fact, this year we will be offering a new elective to many of our 7^th graders called 'Team Leadership'.  The new elective was a direct result of the successful Youth Pathways experiment and has been designed to dovetail with it and support the same goals."

Frank Powell, Founder and CEO of Youth Pathways, puts it this way: "The Ojeda Program is a breakthrough example of how schools and concerned non-profit organizations can work together for the benefit of the students we all serve.  We look for even more positive results in the coming year."

Student Participates in Texas Farm Bureau Youth Leadership Conference.

Del Valle High School Junior Celeste "C.C." Hostetter participated in the Texas Farm Bureau Youth Leadership Conference June 22-26 at Angelo State University in San Angelo. C.C. is an active member of Del Valle High School's FFA and G-Force. Sponsored by Travis County Farm Bureau, C. C. is also featured on the 2010-2011 www.applytexas.org poster. Here she is pictured with Mr. Kelly White, DVHS FFA Advisory.  C. C. currently serves as Reporter for the DVHS FFA Chapter.    

ESL and GED classes to be offered in the fall

Del Valle ISD, in partnership with Austin Community College, will be hosting both ESL and GED classes for all parents and residents of Del Valle in the fall. Anyone interested should contact Lara Logan at the Opportunity Center at 386-3325 in order for the District to accommodate accordingly. Classes will be held at the Opportunity Center located at 5301 B Ross Road in Del Valle.

Del Valle ISD Celebrates Campus AYP Ratings.

Del Valle ISD is pleased with the preliminary AYP ratings released yesterday by TEA for the district and its campuses.  The preliminary ratings confirm that all of the campuses in the district other than Baty Elementary met all of the rigorous requirements established under NCLB for the 2008-09 school year.  The district is particularly proud of the fact that both of its high schools (Del Valle High School and Del Valle Opportunity Center) met AYP.  Perhaps more noteworthy is that fact that Del Valle High School achieved a graduation rate in excess of 90%.  (By comparison, the state graduation rate in 2008 was 78%.)  The district intends to appeal the preliminary rating assigned to Baty Elementary, and is confident that the appeal will be granted and that Baty will ultimately be assigned a rating of Meets AYP.  Regarding the district's AYP rating of Missed AYP in Reading, the administration recognizes the importance of preparing all students with strong skills in Reading.  The district is committed to continuing to implement strong instructional programs to assist students in developing their Reading skills.

Del Valle ISD Earns "Recognized" State Rating.

Eight of 10 regular Del Valle ISD schools received the top two ratings of Exemplary or Recognized from the Texas Education Agency. The district was also rated "Recognized" for the 2008-2009 school year. Although DVISD endorses the addition of the Texas Projection Measure (TPM) as part of the state accountability system, it is especially happy to have earned the Recognized district rating without using TPM.  At the campus level, with the use of TPM, two elementary schools, Popham Elementary and Smith Elementary, are Exemplary and six schools are Recognized: Del Valle High School, Creedmoor Elementary, Baty Elementary, Del Valle Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, and Hornsby-Dunlap Elementary.  The district is also proud of its Completion Rate of 93% and its extremely low Dropout Rate of 0.1%. Del Valle ISD commends its students, teachers, and support staff for attaining these ratings!

Del Valle Middle School Teacher Leticia Hallmark named Region XIII Teacher of the Year.

Del Valle Middle School teacher Leticia Hallmark was named the Region 13 Elementary Teacher of the Year for 2009. Hallmark, a teacher at Del Valle Middle School since 1994, will now compete against 19 teachers from across the state for the title of Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year.  "Leticia Hallmark is an exemplar of the qualities we look for in our teachers," said Superintendent of Schools Bernard J. Blanchard. "She captures the hearts of her middle school students and believes in each child's ability to be successful." In order to be considered for the regional honor, a teacher must first be chosen as a campus and district Teacher of the Year. Hallmark was selected Del Valle ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year at the District's annual Adopt-A-School banquet in May, after winning the Del Valle Middle School Teacher of the Year competition.

Facilitated by the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Teacher of the Year Program annually recognizes and rewards teachers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and excellence in teaching. Forty teachers - two from each Regional Education Service Center - become eligible for two titles, Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year and Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year. Statewide, there are 20 regional elementary awardees and 20 regional secondary honorees selected. From this group of 40 teachers, six finalists are chosen and are interviewed by an independent panel of judges. The state's top elementary and secondary teachers are chosen from these half dozen exemplary educators. The Texas Teachers of the Year become spokespersons for public education and are honored at a special ceremony in Austin. The Texas Teacher of the Year, a dedicated and highly skilled candidate who is capable of inspiring students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn, becomes a candidate for National Teacher of the Year honors.

Congratulations Ms. Hallmark!

Popham Principal Accepted into Harvard Leadership Program.

Dr. Joyce Bannerot, Popham Elementary Principal, was accepted into the Harvard Leadership Program for the 2009 summer. A committee from the Raise Your Hands Texas Organization reviewed applications that were submitted from educators across Texas for the honor. Dr. Bannerot's application received a perfect score. The 2009 Raise Your Hand Texas Leadership Program sends over 100 of top public and charter school campus leaders to The Principals' Center, Harvard Graduate School of Education to participate in one of five Summer Institutes. The Summer Institutes will expose the principals to leading national and international experts in the fields of education and leadership. In addition, the school leaders will work with renowned educators from across the country. Recognized as the gold-standard of training, the Harvard Institutes expose Texas public school leaders to the foremost national and international experts in the fields of education and leadership and offers a hands-on opportunity to work alongside renowned educators from across the country. Congratulations Dr. Bannerot.

Del Valle ISD graduates 99% of seniors.

Del Valle ISD is pleased to announce that Del Valle High School graduated 99% of seniors for the 2008-2009 school year. Out of the 425 seniors, 421 walked the stage at graduation on May 27^th. Del Valle High School is working with all students to ensure that they are successful in their studies and with the state Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills testing measures. Congratulations seniors!

DVISD Transportation Department Awarded Grant.

The DVISD Transportation Department has been awarded the TASB Loss Prevention Grant in the amount of $3,500.00.  Pictured are Mr. Clemente Zabalza, Assistant Director of Loss Prevention Services and Mr. Earl Hodges, Director of Transportation.  The grant will be used to replace rear lights on buses with LED lights.  Thank you TASB!