Hudson Bend Middle School students rake leaves at Camp Mabry on Nov. 18.[/caption]
Students volunteer for annual day of service
Hudson Bend Middle School students participated in a day of service Nov. 18, an annual way for the children to give back to the community before their Thanksgiving break.
One of the event’s goals is to give every student an opportunity to earn at least two hours of community service, said Marco Alvarado, Lake Travis ISD director of communications.
“We know the success of our school would not be possible without the support of parents, families and the great people of the Lake Travis community,” Principal Mark Robinson said. “Receiving all of this support, Hudson Bend Middle School wanted to find a way to give back to the community and instill a nature of caring in our students. The day of service is our way of giving back to this great community that supports all we do here in Lake Travis ISD.”
Split into groups, students helped clean, organize and landscape at 40 different locations across western Travis County, including schools, parks, assisted-living centers, emergency services offices, service organizations and Camp Mabry, Alvarado said.
Grayson Moore named St. Michael’s Catholic Academy Alumnus of the Year
Grayson Moore, a 2001 graduate of St. Michael’s Catholic Academy, 3000 Barton Creek Blvd., Austin, was named the school’s 2016 Alumnus of the Year.
“The Alumnus of the Year award is presented to a St. Michael’s graduate who is living the mission of the school through demonstrated leadership, service and decision-making consistent with Catholic values,” Spokesperson Laura Duggan said.
Moore received a bachelor’s degree in biology from The University of Texas and a doctorate from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, she said, and he is currently part of the Justin Sports Medicine Team in Austin.
Last year’s Alumnus of the Year recipient, Juan Creixell, presented the award to Moore during the school’s homecoming ceremony Oct. 21.
New courses add to options for Westlake High School students
Three new Westlake High School courses—Broadcast Journalism, Beyond AP Statistics, and Business ACCeleratoredu—were approved Nov. 15 by the Eanes ISD board of trustees for the 2017-18 school year.
Broadcast Journalism I, II and III will be offered to all high school students and will focus on interviews, video production and photography, Associate Superintendent Todd Washburn said.
“[Compared to other journalism courses], the class focuses on interviews and bringing video journalism more to life,” he said. “It really aligns with what’s been trending right now—using a variety of media to gather sources and get information out to students as well.”
Principal Steve Ramsey said the course helps fill the gap between high school and college that some Westlake graduates said they have experienced.
Beyond AP Statistics is a post-Advanced Placement course that combines classroom and project-based learning, Washburn said.
“We have a fair amount of students taking AP Statistics as juniors, so this [class] would help passionate students [to] explore and earn a deeper knowledge their senior year,” he said.
Business ACCeleratoredu is a follow-up class for students who have completed the school’s Business Incubator and allows students who have received their own funding to launch their own company, he said.
