CYPRESS CREEK PUBLICATIONS ADVISER WINS JEA RISING STAR AWARD

Cypress Creek High School publications adviser Samantha Berry was named one of 13 Rising Star Award recipients by the Journalism Education Association (JEA) on Jan. 26. She will receive the honor at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Convention in Los Angeles April 14-17. (Photo by Chloe Crawford, Cypress Creek HS)

Cypress Creek High School publications adviserSamantha Berry is one of 13 journalism teachers and media advisers to receive the Rising Star Award in 2016, the Journalism Education Association (JEA) announced on Jan. 26.

The award honors scholastic student media advisers who have completed five or fewer years in the profession. Established in 2006, it honors new advisers who have shown a commitment to involvement and improvement for themselves and their students, according to the JEA release.

Berry, a third-year teacher at Cypress Creek, was named the school’s2014-2015 Spotlight Teacher and earned the Texas Association of Journalism Educators (TAJE) Pathfinder Award last fall.

“I am so honored to be among the recipients for the Rising Star Award,” Berry said. “To be recognized by leaders in your professional field is an incredible feeling. I truly love this job and enjoy coming to work every day because of the dedication and heart my students put into their work. I’m thankful to work in CFISD with administrators and colleagues who support and celebrate each other.

Berry and her fellow 2016 Rising Star Award recipients will be honored at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Convention in Los Angeles April 14-17. 

CY CREEK ALUMS, SUPER BOWL CHAMPS HONORED WITH GOLDEN FOOTBALLS

Cypress Creek High School Silverados and cheerleaders form a tunnel for alumnus Dan Neil, right, before he is honored in a Golden Football presentation for the Super Bowl High School Honor Roll on Jan. 26.

Jan. 26, 2016—Cypress Creek High School recognized three alumni and Super Bowl champions with a Wilson Golden Football presentation during halftime of the Cypress Creek boys’ basketball game on Jan. 26.

The celebration was part of the Super Bowl High School Honor Roll initiative, recognizing schools and communities that contributed to Super Bowl history and positively impacted the game of football.

Cypress Creek Principal Vicki Snokhous honors Super Bowl champion Dan Neil with a Golden Football that will be displayed at Neil’s alma mater during a Jan. 26 ceremony at the school.

Three Cougar alumni were recognized with commemorative Wilson Golden Footballs that will be displayed at Cypress Creek:

• Sam Adams, 1991 graduate and Super Bowl XXXV champion;
• Cameron Fleming, 2010 graduate and Super Bowl XLIX champion; and
• Dan Neil, 1992 graduate and Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII champion.

Although Adams and Fleming were unable to attend the ceremony, Neil—a two-time champion with the Denver Broncos—returned with some praise for his former high school.

Former Cypress Creek Principal Jan Aragon and former football coach Les Koenning congratulate alumnus Dan Neil on his Golden Football for winning a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.

“As far as my career in football, I couldn’t think of a better place to begin your career than this high school, this school district and this city,” Neil said. “We had great leadership, great coaches and a great environment. I’m very honored to be a Cy Creek Cougar.”

Neil’s and Adams’ former high school coach, Les Koenning, supported his players at the event.

Dan Neil joins in a singing of the Cypress Creek alma mater with (L-R) Vicki Snokhous, Cypress Creek principal; Don Ryan and Bob Covey, Board members; and Jim Wells, former Cypress Creek principal, on Jan. 26.

“I coached here 21 years, and so many of the players are special,” he said. “Dan and Sam worked hard to achieve their goals and they were fortunate they got into the Super Bowl. I’m proud of every one of them.”

Neil said he felt honored to have a Golden Football with his name on it given to Cypress Creek.

Joined by Principal Vicki Snokhous, Cypress Creek head football coach and athletic coordinator Greg McCaig reads the biographies of the school’s three Golden Football honorees.

“To think that ball’s going to be in the trophy case for years to come is really something that I don’t have words for,” he said. “I think it helps set a great tradition for the current students that tells them that anything is possible.”

Nearly 3,000 players and head coaches who were part of Super Bowl rosters, and more than 2,000 high schools, were recognized in the Honor Roll initiative, part of the NFL's On The Fifty campaign commemorating Super Bowl 50, set for Feb. 7 in San Francisco.

For more information, visit http://www.nfl.com/sbhonorroll.

Director Sharon Paul leads the Cypress Creek choir in singing the alma mater to conclude the Golden Football presentation at halftime of the Cypress Creek vs. Cy-Fair boys’ basketball game on Jan. 26. 

CYPRESS CREEK MODELS POSITIVITY WITH ‘FRED’ EFFORTS

The Cypress Creek High School faculty unites with Fred shirts that they will wear every Monday in the spirit of Mark Sanborn’s best-selling book, The Fred Factor. The effort will transform Cypress Creek into a FRED campus where everyone goes the extra mile to make the ordinary extraordinary.

Jan. 22, 2016—Inspired by Mark Sanborn’s best-selling book, The Fred Factor, Cypress Creek High School is working to become a “Fred campus.” Through teacher and student involvement, the campus seeks to make the ordinary extraordinary by going the extra mile.

Sanborn’s book, originally published in 2002, outlines exceptional customer service by introducing his former postal carrier, Fred, who continually went above and beyond his job description.

Best-selling author of The Fred Factor, Mark Sanborn, spoke to Cypress Creek faculty members on Jan. 14 via Skype. He offered words of wisdom and encouragement and injected a lot of humor into his inspiring speech to the faculty.  

Cypress Creek READ 180 teacher Andrea Barnes began spreading Fred qualities across the school, and according to “Fred Finders” committee member and fellow READ 180 teacher Sandra Windham, the movement has taken hold.

Cypress Creek teacher Teresa Hughes, left, was named the faculty winner of the TRUE FRED award, earning $100. Pictured with Hughes are Fred Committee members (L-R) Sandra Windham, READ 180/dyslexia teacher; Christi Hames, chemistry teacher; and Ruth Cassidy, U.S. history teacher. 

Sanborn offered a complimentary 20-minute Skype session to the entire faculty on Jan. 14 to help motivate them for the effort.

“The Fred Factor is a great model of being the best you can be while remaining kind and respectful,” said Vicki Snokhous, Cypress Creek principal. “It is a great example for students, teachers and administrators. Cypress Creek is full of ‘Freds,’ and Cypress Creek wants to recognize all the positive people and activities going on at Creek. We hope the positivity continues to spread throughout the campus and community.”

Cypress Creek senior Gabriel Hendley, left, was awarded $100 for being a True Fred. Hendley is pictured with Fred Committee members (L-R) Sandra Windham, READ 180/dyslexia teacher; Christi Hames, chemistry teacher; and Ruth Cassidy, U.S. history teacher. 

Prior to the Sanborn chat, the Fred Finders committee—consisting of Barnes, Windham, chemistry teacher Christi Hames and U.S. history teacher Ruth Cassidy—awarded one student and one teacher a $100 bill for being voted as a “True Fred.”

Teacher Teresa Hughes was chosen as the faculty True Fred award winner for exemplifying Fred qualities by supporting her math team, providing professional development and being a positive influence for teachers and students alike. Senior Gabriel Hendley was chosen as the student winner for exhibiting the Fred philosophies of helping, listening, being kind and considerate and going above and beyond each day.

“This is a huge initiative for Cy Creek,” Windham said. “We are very proud of the Fred committee and the club president, Andrea Barnes, who has made all this happen.”

GIRLS VARSITY GOLD WINS 2ND PLACE IN BEAR CREEK TOURNAMENT

Girls Varsity Golf won 2^nd place in the Bear Creek Golf Tournament!  

Way to go:

Tyler James

Kelly Swanson

Hannah Felske

Julia Iverson

Amanda Billings

CFISD STUDENT OF THE WEEK: DERRICK ANDERSON

Derrick Anderson, Cypress Creek HS

Cypress Creek High School senior Derrick Andersonserves as a student assistant for assistant principals Doris Holden-Smith and Maggy Watson. Anderson served in Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) as a sophomore. “Derrick is very good-natured and respectful, and is willing to tackle any assignment given to him,” said Cypress Creek 10th-grade academy secretary Katherine Pasket. Anderson’s ambition is to understand life and what shortens it.

School: Cypress Creek High School

Age: 18

Grade: 12

Accomplishments: AP student assistant; served in HOSA, sophomore year.

Favorite class: Anatomy. “I’m interested in medical science. Since my ambition is a medical pathologist, learning anatomy would be paramount to this field.”

Favorite things to do after class: Hanging out with friends and listening to music to relax.

Favorite song: Most music by Migos.

Favorite website: YouTube. “There’s so much variety.”

Favorite TV show: Empire. “I love the drama and suspense.”

Favorite movie: Spirit. “This movie is about a group of horses that are captured by ranchers and their will to keep fighting for their freedom/life. I think this movie and theme complement my ambitions, since a medical pathologist would be focused on people that had lost their fight to live, and my quest to understand the reason.”

Ambition: “I want to become one of the greatest medical pathologists, working in a hospital, to discover and expound on the course of disease.”

What topics/things are you passionate about? The medical field and family.

What inspires you? “My family, everyday life and the world around me inspire me. As the saying goes, ‘Every day is a blessing,’ and ‘Use the day to the fullest.’”

What three things can’t you live without? Music, family and food.

What are you most looking forward to this semester? Graduating from Cypress Creek in 2016!

CFISD MUSIC STUDENTS EARN TMEA ALL-STATE HONORS

All-State choir and orchestra students perform at a recent Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) conference in San Antonio. Thirty-six CFISD students that qualified for all-state recognition in 2015-2016 will perform at the TMEA Conference Feb. 10-13. 

Thirty-six Cypress-Fairbanks ISD high school music students recently earned All-State honors through the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) audition process.

Students began the process of competing locally in the fall semester and advance through a series of rigorous competition rounds to eventually earn this performance distinction. 

Cypress Ridge High School senior Brandon Lim gives Principal Stephanie Meshell an impromptu drum lesson at the school on Jan. 12. Lim, who made All-State Band, was one of two students at Cypress Ridge and 36 districtwide to earn TMEA All-State recognition. 

“The music teachers and students continue to be leaders in our state and their outstanding work at all levels does not go unnoticed here in our community,” said John Morrison, coordinator of secondary music. “We are very proud of our students and their recent accomplishments.”

The students have been invited to the TMEA Conference in San Antonio, Feb. 10-13, where they will work with world-class conductors to present All-State concerts.  Performances by these All-State groups will rival some of the most prestigious university music ensembles. TMEA is the largest music education conference of its kind in the world. 

The following CFISD students earned TMEA All-State honors:

Name	Music group	High school
James Dvoracek	Choir	Cy-Fair
Andreas Kapatos	Orchestra	Cy-Fair
Andy Yang	Orchestra	Cy-Fair
Andres Bryan	Band	Cypress Creek
Tomas Bryan	Band	Cypress Creek
Dante Romano	Band	Cypress Falls
Ashlyn Thibodeaux	Choir	Cypress Falls
Kailyn Kolb	Choir	Cypress Falls
Madison Clewis	Choir	Cypress Falls
Rachel Menchaca	Choir	Cypress Ranch
Victoria Furlan	Choir	Cypress Ranch
Alexandra Strode	Band	Cypress Ridge
Brandon Lim	Band	Cypress Ridge
Jean Dorsaint	Band	Cypress Springs
Marquis Wincher	Band	Cypress Springs
Erica Cormier Jordan	Choir	Cypress Springs
Jay'Len Boone	Choir	Cypress Springs
Sarah Jones	Band	Cypress Woods
Benjamin Jensen	Choir	Cypress Woods
Carson Howard	Choir	Cypress Woods
Hayes Howard	Choir	Cypress Woods
Reagan Edwards	Choir	Cypress Woods
Gina Zhang	Orchestra	Cypress Woods
Kevin Turner	Band	Jersey Village
Mitchel Ramirez	Band	Jersey Village
Cade Kyle	Choir	Jersey Village
David Bruce	Choir	Jersey Village
Amul Surelia	Band	Langham Creek
John Cermak	Band	Langham Creek
Roman Arizaga	Band	Langham Creek
Sarah Walters	Band	Langham Creek
Dean Silagan	Choir	Langham Creek
Keilynd Easter	Choir	Langham Creek
Michaela Maldonado	Choir	Langham Creek
Molly McConell	Choir	Langham Creek
Shannon Skillman	Choir	Langham Creek

WRESTLING TEAM SUCCESSFUL AT CFISD TOURNAMENT

The Varsity Wrestling Team participated in the 14th Annual CFISD tournament on January 8th & 9th.

The following wrestlers won their matches:

Storm Buczek, Jacob Gonzales, Kenneth Lukowski, Sara Metz, Felix Martinez and Alissa Sheikh.

Next up - the Varsity Wrestling Team competes at home in a dual meet vs Cy-Fair on January 14th. On January 16th, The Girls State Tournament will be held at Cy-Ridge and the Boys Spartan Hall of Fame Invitational will be held at Seven Lakes.

Good luck Cougars!

THEATRE ARTS STUDENTS EXCEL AT TEXAS THESPIAN FESTIVAL

Troupe members from all 10 CFISD high schools gather at the Texas Thespian Convention in Dallas Dec. 3-5

One-hundred six CFISD high school theatre arts students received first- and second-place rankings at the Texas Thespian Festival, held Dec. 3-5 in Dallas.  

Students receiving these designations have qualified for the national competition, sponsored by the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), scheduled for June 20-25 at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb.

“CFISD had an incredible showing at the Texas Thespian Festival, which can be directly related to the high level of instruction, as well as the dedication of the students and teachers at each of our district’s high school campuses,” said Timothy Estelle, coordinator of secondary fine arts. “Through the outcome of this conference, our students and teachers have demonstrated the strength of our fine arts programs in CFISD, and I look forward to honoring each of them at the School Board meeting in May.”

The Cypress Ranch High School company of Black Snow won first place and was selected for the mainstage performance at the Texas Thespian State Convention Dec. 3-5 in Dallas. Pictured (front row, L-R) are Brianna Hyman, Morgan Simon, Brett Bellamy, Caleb Wyrick, Mark Waddell, Brendan Morrow, Emily Hayes and Ross Strickland; and (second row, L-R) Miranda Lara, Hayden Maples, Lexie Martin, Cole Yates, José Mogollon, Jazzlyn Gonzalez and Melanie Anderson.

The following students earned awards at the competition:

Cy-Fair High School

• Alyssa Andrichik, Lauren Hill and Kellie Laflin – Group Acting; and
• Peyton Tavares – Scenic Design.

Cypress Creek High School

• Ally Fleischhauer – Solo Musical;
• Courtlin Parisher – Solo Musical;
• Zuymar Bolivar and Kaci Jackson – Duet Musical;
• Cody Brockermeyer, Yasmin Kaskar, Sydni Perrin and Autumn Shelton – Group Acting;
• Samantha Sandacz – Stage Management;
• Allison McLain – Stage Management;
• Natalie Barcenas – Scenic Design; and
• Deborah Cook – Theatre Marketing.

Cypress Lakes High School

• Jacqueline Leon – Solo Musical.

Cypress Falls High School

• Jess Burchfield and Dan Voinis – Duet Acting;
• Regina Kinnard and Jordan Mulkey – Duet Musical;
• Megan Eppolito, Justin Nash, Lindsey Pritchett and Lauren Young – Group Acting; and
• Lauren Beedie, Aaliyah Berryman, Lauren Buss, Adriana Cooke,Nick Davis, Tyler LeBlanc, Morgan Mayer, Marlee Ressa – Group Musical.

Cypress Ranch High School

• Hailey Hughes – Solo Musical;
• Liam McGarity – Solo Musical;
• Sarah Bartholomew, Brock Burnett, Jackie Casby, Emily Deragon, Grant Deyoe, Joshua Edwards, Mallory Fondren, Max Foster, Chance Jarvis, Corey Jennings, Taylor Jerding, Carson Leonard, Ryan Simon, Kendall Streets, Abby Weeks and Grace Whaley – Group Musical;
• Melanie Anderson, Brett Bellamy, Jazzlyn Gonzalez, Emily Hayes, Brianna Hyman, Miranda Lara, Hayden Maples, Lexie Martin, José Mogollon, Brendan Morrow, Morgan Simon, Ross Strickland, Mark Waddell, Caleb Wyrick and Cole Yates – Group Acting;
• Cole Andrews – Sound Design; and
• Ryan Simon – Musical Works.

Cypress Springs High School

• Tiara Spears and Elvin Stewart, Jr. – Duet Musical.        

Cypress Woods High School

• Serena Bunn – Costume Construction;
• Abigail Cotton – Costume Design;
• Blake Elliott – Stage Management;
• Brianna Flanter – Lighting Design;
• Gabrielle Glass – Sound Design;
• Cameron Hill – Theatre Marketing;
• Celeste Tidwell – Monologue;
• Eva Granger, George Holbrook, Shelby Mathews, Christian Spiers, Sarah Theriot, Alicia Trivino and Ethan Vowell – Group Acting;
• Samuel Hackett and Ashlyn Maddox – Duet Musical;
• Kaylyn Atkinson, Sarah Caster, Emily Chang, Crayten Clendion,Dalvin Davis, Cody Eggleston, Madison Lane, Robbie Littlefield,Angela Peace, Madelyn Portalatin, Kira Schwarz, Stone Sherrod,Reuben Soria, Savanna Stamps and Alison Wine – Group Musical; and
• Brett Rose – Scenic Design.

Jersey Village High School

• Micah Diwata – Solo Musical.

Langham Creek High School

• Alexandra Goodwin – Short Film;
• Skylar Jones – Stage Management; and
• Danielle Kane – Solo Musical.

Other Recognitions

• Peyton Tavares (Cy-Fair) – selected for Technical Crew on All-State production of Big Fish;
• Annabeth Chapman (Cypress Falls) – $1,000 scholarship recipient;
• Lindsey Pritchett (Cypress Falls) – $1,000 scholarship recipient;
• José Mogollon (Cypress Ranch) – $2,500 scholarship recipient;
• Blake Elliott (Cypress Woods) – $1,000 scholarship recipient;
• Ashlyn Maddox (Cypress Woods) – $1,000 scholarship recipient;
• Cole Andrews, Blake Dalton, Jazzlyn Gonzalez, Chance Jarvis,Ryan Simon, Grace Whaley, Cole Yates (Cypress Ranch) – All-Star troupe display; and
• Serena Bunn, Abigail Cotton, George Holbrook and Brett Rose(Cypress Woods) – Costume Technical Challenge.

The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) is a national nonprofit organization with approximately 90,000 students and professional members. EdTA’s mission is shaping lives through theatre education by honoring student achievement in theatre and enriching their theatre education experience. For more information, visitwww.texasthespians.org.