Student in the Spotlight - Timothy Davis

The Student Spotlight is a monthly feature highlighting one SBISD student for their hard work, leadership and accomplishments. 

We believe all students can achieve, and that when we work together...a dream can become a reality.  Congratulations to this month's student honoree.


Name: Timothy Davis
Age: 17
Grade: 12th Grade (Senior)
School: Memorial High School

Accomplishments:

• National Merit Recognition Program Semifinalist
• Distinguished Honor Roll (2010-2012)
• Memorial High Yearbook, photo editor
• Boy Scouting, working on Eagle Scout recognition
• Independent Photography, sole business operator

Favorite class: Chemistry 2.
The class was so much fun and the teacher was great, we had a lot of lab time after school so we all had the opportunity to hang out often.

Favorite things to do after class: I read a lot and play tennis for fun.

Favorite book: I love to read political and economic based books. However, I do not have one in particular that I would single out.

Favorite song or favorite musical genre: I am a native Texan so I’ve been raised on country music; the Dave Matthews Band is among my favorites.

Favorite website: None/No Response

Favorite TV show: 60 Minutes

Favorite movie: Pulp Fiction Ambition: I hope to go to Stanford and major in chemical engineering, then go on to get my law degree and also a MBA (master of business administration) at either Columbia or Harvard. I would love to be President one day.

Timothy also said, “It is not parental pressure that drives me to succeed; I just want to be the best at what I do. I take pride in my work and strive to be as successful as I can.”

Most Valuable Object: I value memories over objects; I’d probably grab a banana out of the kitchen if my house were to burn down.

We are always on the lookout for exemplary students and would love feedback from parents, teachers and other students who would like to nominate someone special. Please email Steven Brunsman, SBISD Director of Communications with your ideas.

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TSNAP Educator of the Year

Dr. Keith Haffey, district executive director for accountability and research, was honored at Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting after being named 2012 Educator of the Year by the Texas Statewide Network of Assessment Professionals (TSNAP).

A prestigious professional honor, the TSNAP Educator of the Year Award was first issued by the state accountability and assessment group in 2006 to Dr. John Folks of San Antonio, who is now retired as Northside ISD Superintendent of Schools. TSNAP hasn’t awarded its Educator of the Year honor each year.

Dr. Haffey has served in his current SBISD position as executive director for about a decade. He was a principal at Cedar Brook Elementary School, and he began district service as a math teacher at Spring Woods High.

With TSNAP, Dr. Haffey is an active member of the Brazos River Area Testing Specialists and served on the Region 4 District Testing Coordinator Advisory Committee and the Texas Education Agency’s ATAC Committee. He has presented a pre-conference session at the Texas Assessment Conference for eight years, and he is recognized widely for the leadership and support that he provides to new and veteran members, both regionally and across the state.

TSNAP’s goals include the following:

• Share information about testing in educational settings
• Encourage the appropriate use of testing in educational settings
• Improve the applications of measurement to students and educational programs
• Encourage research in the area of elementary and secondary school testing and measurement
• Develop communication networks to assist with implementation, improvement and maintenance of statewide testing programs 

TSNAP membership includes state, regional, district and charter educators, representatives from higher education institutions and supporting companies in the business sector.

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January Volunteer of the Month

Named as January’s Volunteer of the Month is Sandra Newton, who is president of the College Resource Center. Sandra has donated hundreds of hours to Spring Woods High students involved in the Collegiate Challenge program, helping them qualify for more than $600,000 in scholarship opportunities.


During the past decade, beginning with the GEAR UP program, Sandra has been a mentor to many other groups, including the district’s Community Relations team, Curriculum & Instruction leaders, and the Board of Trustees. As an expert and volunteer, she has helped SBISD focus its goal of military, technical or college options for all students, as well as class rank issues.

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January Employees of the Month

Instructional Media Support Specialists Donna Burnett and Lynette Horrocks were recognized as the district’s January Employees of the Month. Working as a team in the Accountability and Research Department, they produce regular and special publications, programs and presentations for several departments, including Curriculum & Instruction.



Combined, Donna and Lynette have six decades of experience and service to SBISD. In the second floor office of the Wayne Schaper, Sr. Leadership Center where they work, their office area is famous among building staff for its variety of available candies and sweets, too.

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Healthy Students, Better Minds

SBISD’s Child Nutrition Services (CNS) Department and 25 elementary schools served by the district’s food services staff have won a total of $12,500 through the Healthier U.S. Schools Challenge (HUSSC). Bronze level awards were issued by the group for school promotion of nutrition and campus physical activities. As a winner, each local campus will be awarded $500 to spend as it sees fit.

CNS leaders and staff joined U.S. Department of Agriculture representative Hazel Hill at the Jan. 28^th Board of Trustees meeting for a special award presentation.

“This award recognizes SBISD's commitment to providing healthy meal options and encouraging healthy lifestyles for our students.  It also illustrates the efforts of the CNS staff and support of the community towards ensuring the nutritional health of our students through the meals we serve every day,” Child Nutrition Services Director Chris Kamradt said.

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Hill told Trustees that some SBISD students may rely on school breakfasts and lunches to meet their daily nutritional needs.

“I came from a family of nine children myself,” Hill said. “I know the importance of what a good and nutritious school meal means in the life of a child. I know that some of your children appreciate this work that you do very much. These may be the only nutritious meals that some children will receive during the day.”

SBISD schools winning Bronze level awards include Buffalo Creek, Bunker Hill, Cedar Brook, Edgewood, Frostwood, Hollibrook, Housman, Hunters Creek, Meadow Wood, Memorial Drive, Nottingham, Pine Shadows, Ridgecrest, Rummel Creek, Shadow Oaks, Sherwood, Spring Branch, Spring Shadows, Terrace, Thornwood, Treasure Forest, Valley Oaks, Westwood, Wilchester and Woodview elementaries.   

The SBISD elementaries join only 4,953 schools nationwide to win such awards through the program. The nation has almost 100,00 public schools.

The Healthier U.S. Schools Challenge has also been endorsed by First Lady Michelle Obama through a national, activities-focused campaign known as Let’s Move!

In addition to Director Chris Kamradt, other staff members who gathered Monday for the presentation and announcement during the Board meeting included Katie Kattner, dietetic supervisor; Gayle Kellar, operations coordinator; Katrina Pettaway, area supervisor; Rocio Camarillo, area supervisor; Debra Guggenheim, payroll clerk; and Jaquelyn Marsh, who is cafeteria manager at Valley Oaks Elementary School.

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Science is cool.

When you think of the energy industry, do 3-D glasses, mechanical arms or laser lights and glowing rocks come to mind? 

Science and technology were alive at Shadow Oaks Elementary on Thursday as the Offshore Energy Center's MOLU took center stage.  The MOLU (Mobile Oilfield Learning Unit) is a traveling exhibit that features six self-contained learning centers with hands-on activities geared to engage students in the study of science, energy and technology. 

The curriculum presented by each of the MOLU 's  24 activities is based on TEKS, or the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills official curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grade students, and aligns with classroom instruction.  Student learning activities ranged from viewing ocean maps with 3-D glasses to making rubbings of microfossils, studying the process of distillation, and exploring the many ways that the oil and gas industry impacts our lives every day. 

Part of the Offshore Energy Center's educational outreach programs, the MOLU stands out because it offers schools the ability to host the mobile learning facility in a gym or campus common area. 

Up to 50 students can rotate through the exhibit each 90 minutes, receiving  correlated learning materials and instruction for each of the 24 stations.  The Center promotes awareness and understanding of offshore energy, as well as generating an interest in the oil industry as a career field for students.  The Center also offers teacher workshops, field trips, traveling exhibits and curriculum materials. 

Spring Branch ISD believes that education is a partnership, and Communities in Schools (CIS) and the sponsors who supported the Offshore Energy Center, put that belief into action.  MOLU supporters include Devon Energy Corporation, Dominion Exploration & Production, ExxonMobil, Halliburton, Marathon Oil Co. and Schlumberger. Companies like these are inspiring the next generation of scientists and engaging local area business leaders as partners in the education of our children. 

Special thanks to Marathon Oil and Communities in Schools for making the event at Shadow Oaks Elementary possible.

For more information about the outstanding programming and educational outreach offered by the Offshore Energy Center, including information on the MOLU, free resources for educators, or planning a trip to their museum and educational center,  visit: www.oceanstareoc.com 

For more information on Communities in Schools (CIS) and how your company can be a partner in education visit:

http://www.communitiesinschools.org

In addition, visit the SBISD Community Relations website for details and information about the great things going on in Spring Branch today.  http://www.springbranchisd.com

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