CFISD STUDENT OF THE WEEK: LINDSEY RAU

Cypress Creek High School senior Lindsey Rau is ranked in the top 2 percent of her class while participating in extracurricular activities such as cheerleading, student council and National Honor Society. A big animal advocate who can’t stand to see dogs running loose in streets, Rau plans to study either accounting or engineering at Texas A&M University in 2015.

 

School: Cypress Creek High School

Age: 17

Grade: 12
 

Accomplishments: Will graduate with honors on the Distinguished Graduate Plan; ranked in top 2 percent of class; cheerleader three years: varsity co-captain and social officer; junior varsity co-captain; Mu Alpha Theta president; member of National Honor Society, two years: social officer and member; student council; Sparks; four-year distinguished honor roll recipient; received President’s Volunteer Service Awards — bronze, sophomore year and silver, junior year for volunteer hours.

Favorite class: Cheer. “Coach LeClaire is the best coach and teacher (I have her for AP government too). She keeps things real. All of the girls on both Varsity and JV are a lot of fun and we have a good time in cheer class.”

Favorite things to do after class: “I like to go home and just chill out before I have to start my homework.”

Favorite song: Blank Space by Taylor Swift

Favorite website: Wanelo. “I like to shop and they have really cute stuff.”

Favorite TV show: Criminal Minds.“I think it’s really interesting how they profile the criminals and I really like all the characters that make up the FBI team.”

Favorite movie: She’s the Man. “I love this movie: it’s funny, it’s a classic—it has lots of good lines that are fun to repeat and laugh about. It never gets old.”

Ambition: “I plan on attending Texas A&M University in the fall of 2015. I am going to major in accounting or engineering of some type.”

What topics/things are you passionate about? “I am passionate about doing my best in everything I do. I like math, volunteering and helping animals. I don’t like it when I see dogs running loose, especially near busy streets. I usually stop and try to help in some way.”

What inspires you? “My parents, my sister and my teachers inspire me. I see how hard work pays off. They are good role models and I want to be one too. I also love how good it feels to help other people.”

What three things can’t you live without? God, my family—including my dogs and my cell phone.

What are you most looking forward to this year? “I am enjoying being a senior and I am looking forward to graduating and participating in all the fun senior activities that are planned for the rest of my time here at Cy Creek.”

 

Speech & Debate Tournament Results

The past two weekends, the Cypress Creek Speech & Debate Team competed at multiple tournaments: The Abilene Swing (Abilene and Cooper HS) and the Jersey Village HS

 

Tournament. Results from the last two weekends include:

• Tournament Champion, Public Forum Debate, Haley Henson & Thomas Linden (Abilene)
• Tournament Champion, Original Oratory, Avneet Randhawa (Abilene)
• Tournament Champion, Congressional Debate, Harland Ashby (Jersey Village)
• Tournament Champion, Dramatic Interpretation, Avneet Randhawa (Jersey Village)
• 2nd Place, Public Forum Debate, Haley Henson& Thomas Linden (Cooper)
• 2nd Place, Original Oratory, Avneet Randhawa (Jersey Village)
• 3rd Place (Semi-Finals), Public Forum Debate, Haley Henson & Thomas Linden (Jersey Village)
• 3rd Place, Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking, Danny Lehmann (Jersey Village)
• 3rd Place, Original Oratory, Avneet Randhawa (Cooper)
• 3rd Place, Impromptu Speaking, Danny Lehmann (Jersey Village)
• 4th Place, Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking, Colin Price (Jersey Village)
• 4th Place, Poetry Interpretation, Avneet Randhawa (Cooper)
• 4th Place, Prose Interpretation, Avneet Randhawa (Cooper)
• 4th Place, Congressional Debate, Richard Galvan (Abilene)
• 4th Place, Poetry Interpretation, Sky Nguyen (Jersey Village)
• 6th Place, Novice Original Oratory, Juan Mendoza (Jersey Village)
• 7th Place, Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, Haley Henson (Jersey Village)
• 7th Place, Impromptu Speaking, Colin Price (Jersey Village)
• 8th Place, Novice Original Oratory, Collin Goemmer (Jersey Village)
• Quarter-Finals, Public Forum Debate, Chloe Knox& Riley Williams (Cooper)
• Quarter-Finals, Policy Debate, Danny Lehmann& Colin Price (Cooper)

Runners qualify for Academic All District 17-6A Cross Country Team

More than 120 student athletes from all 10 CFISD high schools qualified for the Academic All-District 17-6A Cross Country Team, released Dec. 8.

Runners named to the academic all-district team finished the season in good standing and earned a composite weighted grade point average of 5.5 or higher for all classes for the two identified six weeks that make up the majority of their regular season.

The following Cy Creek  student athletes qualified for the academic all-district team:

Cypress Creek	Avant	Sarah	9
Cypress Creek	Deakins	Katie	10
Cypress Creek	DeRouen	Megan	9
Cypress Creek	Hilpert	Allison	10
Cypress Creek	Lee	Kaytie	11
Cypress Creek	Long	Kendra	12
Cypress Creek	Michals	Morgan	10
Cypress Creek	Parmley	Jamie	11

Texas Thespian Festival Winners

Seventy-five CFISD high school theatre arts students received first- and second-place rankings at the Texas Thespian Festival, held Nov. 20-22 in Dallas.

Students receiving these designations have qualified for the national competition, sponsored by the Educational Theatre Association, scheduled for June 20-27 at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb.

The following Cy Creek students earned Second Place Awards:

• April Palm, Cypress Creek – Solo Musical;
• Ally Fleischhauer and Courtlin Parisher, Cypress Creek – Duet Musical;
• Kayli Hamilton, Cypress Creek – Set Design;
• Travis Hilton, Cypress Creek – Sound Design;
• Samantha Sandacz, Cypress Creek – Stage Management;

To read the full story, click here

Jordan Hicks Named To Preseason All-American Team

Two CFISD baseball players have been selected to the 2015 National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) High School Pre-Season All-American First Team.

Langham Creek High School senior outfielder Tyler Rand and Cypress Creek High School senior pitcher Jordan Hicks are among 25 high school players in the nation chosen for the first team honors.

To read the full story, click here.

Congratulations ATPI Fall Photo Contest Winners

Three Cypress Creek High School students were recognized in the 2014 ATPI Fall Photo Contest. More than 1800 students across the country submitted work for this contest. Winners are as follows:

Advanced Darkroom Print

First Honorable Mention – Maria Douglas

Advanced Informal-Environmental Portrait

Honorable Mention – Ian Sims

Advanced Sports-Reaction Photo

Honorable Mention – Akilah Smith

Advanced Student Life Photo

Honorable Mention – Akilah Smith

Yearbook Earns Gold Medal

The Cypress Creek 2014 yearbook was named a gold medalist publication by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. This award is given to the Top 10 percent of yearbooks in the nation based on excellence in design, reporting and photography.

Athletes Sign Letter of Intent

Many CFISD athletes signed letters of intent to play collegiate athletics for colleges or universities on the first day of the early signing period, Nov. 12. More signings will continue through next week. Congratulations to our own Meia Gordon, track and field, University of Oklahoma. Click here to see to full story on CFISD signings. 

Cy Creek students chose to work on CFTV Production Team

Students to work in professional setting on CFTV Production Team

Thirty-one CFISD students have been selected to participate on the CFISD TV (CFTV) Production Team, a collaboration in which students produce video content in a professional broadcast industry setting.

The students were selected for one of three roles—on-air talent, tech crew or sports show—in which they will expand the coverage of the school district through the dynamic use of video. CFTV staff will work closely with the students to simulate a work-like environment while allowing the students to increase their skill set.

“As the demand for college and career readiness continues to increase, we feel that partnering with our students will provide them with first-hand experience and insight to the video production industry,” said Stephanie Migl, CFISD director of communication. “Being a part of this team will also help them build their portfolios for the workforce and/or college entry.”

Students interested in becoming part of the CFTV Production Team were required to fill out an online application with an option to submit any production work and/or a résumé. After submitting an application, students were called in for a formal interview and audition. 

The following students were selected for the CFTV Production Team:

On-Air Talent	​
Cristobal Alaniz	Cypress Ridge HS
Kaleigh Blouin	Cypress Ridge HS
Sridhar Changalpet	Cy-Fair HS
Adriana Cooke	Cypress Falls HS
Ciara Mackey	Jersey Village HS
Katie Main	Cypress Ranch HS
Sierra Marlborough	Cypress Ranch HS
Ricky Martinez	Cypress Ranch HS
Savannah Migl	Jersey Village HS
Alan Jaquez Orozco	Jersey Village HS
Paige Parker	Cypress Creek HS
Wendy Ruisinger	Cypress Falls HS
Clare Wineman	Jersey Village HS

Tech Crew	​
Melanie Cosme	Cypress Ranch HS
Anastasia Gorshunina	Cypress Creek HS
Kendall Hughs	Cypress Falls HS
Katherine Jenings	Cypress Ranch HS
Casandra Martinez	Cypress Ridge HS
Jake Meeks	Cypress Creek HS
Robert Norris	Cypress Creek HS
Xavier Ramirez	Cypress Creek HS
Joshua Ricks	Cypress Creek HS
Kate Roemlein	Cypress Ranch HS
Dane Ruckstuhl	Cypress Woods

Sports Show	​
Matthew Banzer	Cypress Woods HS
Eric Estepp	Cypress Creek HS
Benjamin Jefferson	Cypress Ridge HS
Dedrick Joubert II	Cypress Woods HS
Zitlalik Martinez-Faz	Cypress Falls HS
Abbie McIntosh	Cypress Woods HS

CFTV Production Team: The CFTV Production Team will gain more broadcasting industry experience by working closely with each other and members of the CFTV team to visually cover the district in a variety of ways.

Speech & Debate Team wins 3rd in San Antonio tournament

The Cy-Creek Speech & Debate Team competed this weekend at the St. Mary’s Hall Tournament in San Antonio.  Competing against 20 other schools across Texas, Creek won the following awards:

3^rd Place Overall Sweepstakes

Tournament Champion, Poetry Interpretation, Danny Lehmann

3^rd Place, Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking, Colin Price

3^rd Place, Humorous Interpretation, Thomas Linden

3^rd Place, Overall Public Forum Debate Speaker, Haley Henson

4^th Place, Dramatic Interpretation, Avneet Randhawa

4^th Place, Prose Interpretation, Avneet Randhawa

5^th Place, Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, Haley Henson

5^th Place, Poetry Interpretation, Haley Henson

5^th Place, Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking, Danny Lehmann

6^th Place, Original Oratory, Danny Lehmann

Quarter-Finalists, Public Forum Debate, Haley Henson & Thomas Linden

Cy Creek Student Named CFISD student of the week

Cypress Creek High School senior Alec Lintz serves as president of the Cypress Creek Student Council, in which role he won the Texas Association of Student Councils Outstanding Student Council Award. Lintz, an AP Scholar Award with Distinction recipient who credits his mother as his main inspiration, also has a connection to a viral video: he recorded the now-famous "AHH CC" Vine capturing the spirit of the Cougars’ student section and drum line in October 2013.

To read more, click here

Cy Creek journalism students participate in press conference

Three Cypress Creek journalism students participated in a district-wide press conference for journalism programs on October 20. Students joined other students from Jersey Village and Cypress Falls to interview school board president Don Ryan about matters concerning the district. Colin Morris, Hala Khan and Libby Sullivan represent Cy Creek. 

Cy Creek Marching Band earns division 1 ratings in UIL Region 27 Competition

Eight CFISD marching bands earned first division ratings in the UIL Region 27 Marching Band Competition on Oct. 18 at the Berry Center to advance to the Area E competition, set for Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Berry Center (8877 Barker Cypress Road).

The following marching bands emerged from the 21-school competition, hosted by Jersey Village High School and band director Brett Nelson:

• Cy-Fair, Cypress Creek, Cypress Falls, Cypress Ranch, Cypress Ridge, Cypress Woods, Jersey Village and Langham Creek.

Dr. Mark Henry, superintendent of schools, attended the daylong competition and came away impressed by CFISD’s performances.

Click here to read the full article. 

Cy Creek student has success at Special Olympics Swim Meet

Oct. 23, 2014—Thirty-three CFISD athletes represented the district with several gold, silver and bronze medals as CFISD hosted the Special Olympics of Texas Area 4 Swim Meet on Oct. 4.

The event was highlighted by a thrilling 4x25-meter relay victory by team members Julia Mostyn of Salyards Middle School, Taylor Rhule of Langham Creek High School, Caitlyn Ripley of Cypress Creek High School and Jill Philipbar of the Carlton Center.

To read the full article, click here. 

Choir Members progress to TMEA Region Choir Clinic and Concert

Congratulations to the 2014 TMEA All-State Pre-Area, Mixed, and Treble Choir Members who will progress to the TMEA Region Choir Clinic and Concert in November and Pre-Area Auditions in December:
Pre-Area & Mixed Choir
Tenor 1
Nathan Ponder #1, Pre-Area and Mixed
Jackson Glenn #13 1^st Alternate to Pre-Area, Mixed
Tenor 2
Jordan Reynolds #3, Pre-Area and Mixed
Trevor Hicks #15, Mixed
Bass 1
Matt Ramsdal #2, Pre-Area and Mixed
Will Sheehan #9, Pre-Area and Mixed
Alto 1
Jordan Rincon #8 Pre-Area and Mixed
Aysia Scott #12, Pre-Area and Mixed
Alto 2
Desteni Granston #10, Pre-Area and Mixed
Treble choir
Katelynn Watson and Kaytlin Withers, Soprano 1
Alto 2
Lindsi Wharton
Ruth Deskins
Lauren Morrison
Hannah Freeman

Speech and Debate Team - 4th place in Tournament

This past weekend, the Cypress Creek Speech &Debate Team competed at the Langham Creek/Cy-Springs Debate Tournament.  Competing against 29 other schools, Cy-Creek won:

4^th Place Overall Sweepstakes

Individual Results include:

• Tournament Champion, Congressional Debate, Daniel Lehmann
• 2nd Place, Impromptu Speaking, Haley Henson
• 3rd Place, Congressional Debate, Harland Ashby
• 3rd Place, Novice Public Forum Debate, Chris Harmon & Iankov Pedraza
• 3rd Place, Original Oratory, Daniel Lehmann
• 3rd Place, Impromptu Speaking, Daniel Lehman
• 4th Place, Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking, Colin Price*
• 4th Place, Original Oratory, Avneet Randhawa
• 4th Place, Novice Original Oratory, Alroy Gilron
• 5th Place, Impromptu Speaking, Thea Feeney
• 5th Place, Poetry Interpretation, Jarod Carney
• 5th Place, Congressional Debate, Colin Price
• Quarter-Finalists, Public Forum Debate, Thea Feeney & Chloe Knox

 

*Lehmann and Price have both qualified for the TFA State Tournament to be held in El Paso in March.

Awwww CC! Student section recognized in local media

Cy Creek Student Section was recognized on this website: http://usatodayhss.com/your-take/cypress-creek-high-school-student-section#slideIdslide-10

Wall of Fame Ceremony

Last night at the Berry Center, our very own Cathy Trocquet was inducted into theCFISD Hall of Fame. She was recognized for her commitment and contributions to providing a quality education to district students. Ms. Troquet is a health science teacher here at Cypress Creek High School. She is being honored for receiving the Texas Health Occupations Association Health Science Distinguished Teacher Award. Cathy is in her 13th year of service in education, all of which have been in CFISD.

Speech & Debate Team - 4th place at Memorial High School Tournament

This past weekend, the Cypress Creek Speech & Debate Team competed at the Memorial High School Speech Tournament.  Competing against 28 other schools, 

Cy-Creek won 4^th Place Overall Sweepstakes.  Individual Results include:

Tournament Champion, Humorous Interpretation, Thomas Linden

• 2nd Place, Poetry Interpretation, Avneet Randhawa
• 2^nd Place, Impromptu Speaking, Haley Henson
• 3rd Place, Poetry Interpretation, David Peterson
• 3rd Place, Dramatic Interpretation, Avneet Randhawa
• 4th Place, Congressional Debate, Harland Ashby
• 5th Place, Poetry Interpretation, Haley Henson
• 5th Place, Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking, Colin Price
• 6th Place, Congressional Debate, Danny Lehmann
• 6th Place, Poetry Interpretation, Sky Nguyen
• 6th Place, Original Oratory, Danny Lehmann
• 7th Place, Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, Haley Henson
• 9th Place, Congressional Debate, Armando Mendoza

6th Original Oratory
7th Domestic Extemp
9th Congressional Debate

Cathy Trocquet selected as honoree for induction into 2014 Wall of Fame

Congratulations to our Health Sciences teacher, Cathy Trocquet, who has been selected as an honoree for induction into the 2014 Wall of Fame for CFISD for receiving the Texas Health Occupations Association Health Science Distinguished Teacher Award. Ms. Trocquet's picture will be displayed in the foyer of the Instructional Support Center during the 2014-2015 school year. Thank you Ms. Trocquet for your hard work and leadership in your field!

FBLA student takes first place in Nationals!

Congratulations to Nicole Tranchita, who won FIRST place in the Future Business of America Nationals Competition. Nicole competed in the Impromptu Speaking category in Nashville over the summer. We are so proud of your accomplishment, Nicole!

Students selected to participate in High School Aerospace Scholars Program

Two Cypress Creek High School students have been selected from among 260 Texas high school juniors to participate in the one-week summer internship program, High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS), at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC).



Jacob English

Cypress Creek juniors Jacob English and Harland Ashby were nominated by their state legislator to participate in the 15th anniversary of the program. English is currently taking part in the June 15-20 session, while Ashby will attend HAS later in the summer. The students completed eight web-based assignments during the school year to prepare for the program, and will apply their learning while they work as part of a team to design a mission to Mars. The weeklong experience at JSC includes a tour of facilities and briefings by noted NASA employees. These students and teammates will conclude their experience by presenting their proposal at a brunch to their parents, members of the Texas Legislature, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Rotary NASA and JSC senior management.



Harland Ashby

“Cypress Creek is very proud to be represented by these fine young adults,” said principal Sandy Trujillo. “As an academy school, we encourage our STEM students to actively seek out opportunities to connect their learning to future career choices. This is a perfect example of school and business partnerships that engage our future leaders in a meaningful way.” The state of Texas partnered with JSC and the Texas educational community to develop HAS in 1999 to encourage more students to pursue studies and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). More than 7,700 students from across Texas have participated in the program since its inception 15 years ago

Cypress Creek READ 180 students celebrate achievements

Cypress Creek READ 180 students celebrate achievements
To reward the hard work of her 46 READ 180 students in 2013-2014, Cypress Creek High School READ 180 teacher Andrea Barnes hosted a year-end open house celebration in her classroom throughout the day on May 30.

Several guests attended the event—including Dr. Mark Henry, superintendent of schools; and Tom Jackson, Board of Trustees vice president—which featured reading performances by students as well as presentation of awards voted on by classmates.

“The students like to award their classmates for their hard work. It helps them feel like they have accomplished their goals,” said Barnes, a six-year READ 180 teacher. “The students are able to make positive shout-outs to their classmates and teacher. It is a fantastic way to end a hard year of working and accomplishing goals.”

CFISD launched READ 180, a Scholastic reading intervention program, in 2007-2008. The program uses Lexile Framework to measure reading progress—a system that uses a common metric to evaluate both reading ability and text difficulty.

The program’s 90-minute class model begins with 20 minutes of teacher-student instruction and skill warm-ups. The students then break up into three different 20-minute rotations: small-group textbook work, instructional software and independent reading with READ 180 libraries.

Currently, 1,282 middle school and 670 high school students are participating in CFISD’s READ 180 program. Secondary students read 301 million words for a yearly average Lexile gain of more than 110 points.

“The READ 180 program is the most amazing Reading program I have ever been a part of in all of my years of teaching,” Barnes said. “The students’ results are phenomenal on the Scholastic Reading Inventory, the STAAR/EOC scores, and most importantly, the students beliefs in themselves. Students feel confident about reading and find the love of reading.”