A Show of Support

Wilchester Elementary students and staff are feeling especially proud after receiving a few very special photos from servicemen stationed in Afghanistan recently. Why? A campus flag from their school made the long journey to Afghanistan to be flown at the Kandahar Airfield during Operation Enduring Freedow XV.

When Wilchester students and staff sent the flag to servicemen stationed there, the gesture was an expression of gratitude and thanks for the troops. Now, the students and campus staff feel especially honored to see the flag displayed on base. "We are eternally grateful for the service of our men and women in uniform and the Wilchester community is honored to recognize their commitment to our country," said campus principal Rian Evans.  The base's Captain, Samuel D. Campbell (LG Commanding), is a family member of three Wilchester students.

With Armed Forces Day approaching, the Wilchester community is proud to know the men and women stationed at Kandahar know how much friends and family back home appreciate their service. Armed Services Day is Saturday, May 17.

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Four Cedar Brook Teachers Win Employee Fitness Challenge

Four elementary teachers at Cedar Brook Elementary School who held each other accountable for activity “points” ranging from running half marathons to working out in Zumba classes were named the big winners in the annual SBISD Employee Challenge.

 Surprised in their classrooms with the big announcement on April 25 were the so-called Cedar Brook Divas: Patricia Baxter, kindergarten; Elleashia Ferguson and Perlita Robles, prekindergarten; and Claudia Perez, who teaches first grade.

Community Relations Officer Linda Buchman surprised most of the teachers with winning T-shirts and certificates during a surprise Friday afternoon visit. SBISD’s Intramural Coordinator and Health Fitness Specialist Samuel Karnes honored and recognized the winning employees for their active lifestyles.

The district’s Employee Challenge was conducted from Jan. 20 through March 14. SBISD staff and faculty were encouraged to create teams to help hold one another accountable and motivate each other to do their best.

Teams competed in three categories to earn points. They included Healthy Service Activities, Daily Exercise and Activities, and Personal Analysis.

“The Employee Challenge was created so that our employees could take care of themselves while helping each other to get through their eight weeks of healthy lifestyle changes with the hope of following a healthy lifestyle for life,” reports Health Fitness’ Karnes.

Several of the Cedar Brook Divas ran a half marathon as a result of the Challenge. They encouraged and motivated each other to gather daily points through activity options that ranged from walking to Zumba instruction.

“I’ve lost weight,” a proud Perlita Robles said. “I have more energy today. It can happen for you if you really want it, and if you have friends who will help you to stay committed to your goals.”

“The accountability in the program was motivating. I was accountable to this team every day to help get our points,” Elleashia said. “It pushes you to achieve!”

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Hundreds of Stratford Students Show Up for the 1st Annual Big Day

Early in the morning on April 16, more than 400 Stratford High School students gathered in the Dairy Ashford campus parking lot for the school’s first Big Day. Together, the Spartans painted 40,000 square feet Stratford green, prepared 1,400 kid’s meals, fixed up seven homes, and remodeled two businesses in just under four hours.

Planning for The Big Day event began in April of 2013 when Stratford Student Council President Katherine Kennedy established the Leadership Council, a group composed of 53 students — one student representative for every organization at Stratford.

In conjunction with the newly founded Dairy Ashford Revitalization Team (DART) — composed of local business professionals, Stratford parents and faculty — the students begin to plan a school-wide service day to clean up their surrounding community.

While the Leadership Council worked to get student volunteers, the DART committee arranged volunteer opportunities with local businesses and raised funds for supplies.

In order to decide what projects students were going to complete, DART reached out to local businesses and residents to see if they had any “wishes” that students could help grant.

On the Big Day, 39 students Leadership Council members led 79 groups with anywhere from three to 10 students to complete projects.

Of the 79 groups, 68 painted the backside of the strip center that faces the Stratford baseball fields and practice fields informally known as “the wall,” Spartan green.

Stratford modeled their universal day of service after Texas A&M University’s annual Big Event which involves more than 20,000 students each year. While the Big Event has been transferred to other colleges, Stratford is among the few high schools to hold anything like it.

The campus plans to put on the Big Day each year by fulfilling different local wishes and tasks to improve the Dairy Ashford/Stratford community. For more information on the Big Day check out the April issue of The Oracle by clicking here.

Communications Dept. intern Kali Venable of Stratford High wrote this story.

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