MPISD – News

 

MPHS Choir Performs National Anthem at Texas A&M Basketball Game

The Mount Pleasant High School Chorale has the distinct honor of performing the “National Anthem” at the February 8, Texas A&M-College Station Girls Basketball game against Ole Miss.

The trip also included a visit to Stephen F. Austin University for a campus tour and the chance to sit in on their women’s Choir Rehearsal on the way to College Station. The trip home on February 9 included a stop at Baylor University to watch their A Capella Choir rehearsal. MPHS grad Christina Kessler is a member of the Choir.

Luke Dean, MPHS Choir Director, explains how it all came about and the process for the actual performance:
“In December I was forwarded an email by MPHS Counselor Dawn Trickey. One of her college visit contacts at A&M works in Group Ticket Sales for their athletic events. He was inquiring if the MPHS Choir would like to sing the National Anthem for one of the upcoming women’s basketball games.

“After contacting him myself, we settled on a few dates that might work. I borrowed a video camera from John Whitten and taped the Chorale singing the National Anthem. Mr. Whitten transformed the video to a YouTube clip, and I sent it to A&M and waited to be selected.

“We left Thursday morning and stopped at Stephen F. Austin University for a quick campus tour and sat in on their Women’s Choir rehearsal. Then we traveled to College Station. We arrived at Reed Arena early for sound check and then had time for supper. They televised the game on the SEC network, but not the National Anthem, so everything was timed and scheduled. We were lined up and ready to go, and then got a 10-second warning. We walked onto the center court with the players of both teams on either side of us. There, under the jumbotron, we sang the National Anthem. Afterwards, we stayed and watched the game as the Aggie girls smoked Ole Miss, 83-54.”

“This was an exciting opportunity for our choir students,” said Dr. Judith Saxton, MPISD Director of Communication. “The fans and players at the game got to hear how great our Choir is and our students got the chance to perform before an out-of-town audience. They also got to visit two universities and experience what the Choir experience is like there. It is a trip they will remember for a long time. Thanks to Luke Dean, Dawn Trickey and John Whitten for making the trip possible.”

Sound Check: The MPHS Chorale at Sound Check before their performance at Reed Arena.

Performance: The MPHS Chorale performs the National Anthem.

 

MPHS FCCLA Students Advance to State

The Mount Pleasant High School chapter of FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) competed at the Region III meeting in Waco, Texas on Friday, February 9.

Three teams competed in the Culinary Arts competition, and two students competed in the Cupcake Battle competition. The group of Michael Cortez, Tyrese Milton, and Matthew Braudaway placed fifth out of 24 teams in the Culinary Arts competition and advanced to the State Meet April 5-7 in Dallas.

The team of Alicia Bello, Lizbeth Mejia, and Samantha Garcia competed in Life Event Planning. For their project, they planned and organized a baby shower. They came up with a theme, invitations and had to stay within a budget. These young ladies placed second out of seven teams and will be moving on to State competition as well.

Ashley Rodriguez received a bronze medal for her efforts in Education and Training FCS-Assessments. Ashley scored better than 200 other testers and represented Mount Pleasant well at the Regional Competition.

“All the competitors and advisors spent countless hours studying and preparing for the competition, and the results prove that Mount Pleasant FCCLA is a force to be reckoned with,” said Aimee Sweeden, MPHS teacher and one of the FCCLA sponsors. “We are all are excited about the upcoming State Competition.”

Other FCCLA sponsors are Chef Jamie Hudman and Margaret Bradley.

Culinary Team: Tyrese Milton, Michael Cortez, Matthew Braudaway

Regionals: Samantha Garcia, Alicia Bello, Lizbeth Mejia

 

MPHS HOSA Students Advance to State Meet

The Mount Pleasant High School chapter of HOSA: Future Health Professionals attended Texas Area 3 Leadership Conference on February 9-10. Forty-four students from MPHS competed against 1826 students from 178 other HOSA chapters in our area. MPHS HOSA did very well against the heavy competition, and the following students were recognized:
These students placed in their event and will attend the State Leadership Conference April 12-14 in Grapevine, Texas:
Karson Hutchings – 2nd place – Health Career Photography
Sandra Ramirez – 2nd place – Medical Art Poster
Avanlea Sinclair – 2nd place – Personal Care
Nathon Segovia – 3rd place – Medical Math
Averie Ayers – 5th place – Job Seeking Skills
Samantha Gonzalez – 5th place – Healthy Lifestyle

These students met the qualifications to qualify for State Leadership Conference. Their events do not award places, but rather criteria are met to advance to the next level of competition:
Andrea Beles – Health Care Issues
Tessa Land – Outstanding HOSA Chapter
Alyssa Reynolds – Outstanding HOSA Chapter
Grace Whitten – Outstanding HOSA Chapter
Faith Logan – Outstanding HOSA Chapter
Zannah Hutchings – HOSA Happenings Newsletter

Area 2018.3: Nathon Segovia and Andrea Beles qualified for state after online testing

Area 2018.2: The MPHS HOSA delegation at Area 3 Leadership Conference

Area 2018: Recognized at the conference – Samantha Gonzales, Averie Ayers, Faith Logan, Sandra Ramirez, Alyssa Reynolds, Tessa Land, Avanlea Sinclair, Grace Whitten, Karson Hutchings.

 

MPISD Students Bring Home Medals from Region 8 Science Fair

This February, students from four Mt. Pleasant ISD campuses competed in the Region 8 ESC Science Fair. This year students from each of those campuses brought home medals.

P.E. Wallace Middle School 5th grader Kate Ball placed first with her project, “Turn up the Base”, which investigated which antacid relieved heartburn the best. She is the daughter of Tim and Rebecca Ball.

Annie Sims Elementary School fourth-grader Ava True Fite placed second in the Behavioral/Biological category with her project “Do Your Senses Affect Your Taste” which investigated whether sight and smell influence how food tastes. She is the daughter of Keres and Katie Fite.

Corprew Elementary School fourth-grader Aaliyah DeLaRosa placed third in the Chemical/Physical category with her project which investigated “Which Chocolate Melts Faster.” She is the daughter of Jose DeLaRosa and Christine Granados.

Two students from Mount Pleasant Junior High School placed at the Science Fair. Seventh-grader Elijah Rider, the son of Nathan and Lisa Rider, placed second with his project “Who Heard It Best” which tested band and choir students to see who was better at recognizing musical notes just by listening.

Eighth-grader Sam Brown, the son of Thomas and Carolyn Brown, placed third with his project “Why Do I Need a Better Dog Hair Brush.” He created the Hair Shark, a comb to use on his Labrador Retriever.

“This is the first year that every MPISD campus that entered the Region 8 Science fair has brought home at least one medal,” said Dr. Judi Saxton, MPISD’s Director of Communications. “We congratulate these students and the teachers who worked with them to prepare them for the Science Fair.”

Wallace Science: Kate Ball with her Region 8 Science Project

Sims Science: Ava True Fite with her Region 8 Science Fair Project

Corprew Science: Aaliyah DeLaRosa shows the chocolate bars she tested for her Region 8 Science Fair project

MPJHS Science Fair winners announced were Sam Brown, and Ethan Rider (l).